THE  ROMANCE 
OF  THE  BEAVER 


LIBRARY   OF 

HENRY  C.  FALL 

AND  KATHARINE  A.  FALL 


Dumber  _ 

Date  of  Purchase 

Place 

Cost  . 


Through     bush,    and    brake,    and 

forest, 

Ran  the  cunning  Pau-Puk-Keewis; 
Like  an  antelope  he  bounded, 
Till  he  came  unto  a  streamlet 
In  the  middle  of  the  forest, 
To  a  streamlet  still  and  tranquil, 
That  had  overflowed  its  margin, 
To  a  dam  made  by  the  beavers, 
To  a  pond  of  quiet  water, 
Where  knee-deep  the  trees  were 

standing, 

Where  the  water-lilies  floated, 
Where  the  rushes  waved  and  whis- 
pered. 

On   the    dam    stood    Pau-Puk- 
Keewis, 

On  the  dam  of  trunks  and  branches, 
Through  whose  chinks  the  water 

spouted, 
O'er    whose    summit    flowed    the 

streamlet. 

From  the  bottom  rose  the  beaver, 
Looked  with  two    great    eyes   of 

wonder, 

Eyes  that  seemed  to  ask  a  question, 
At  the  stranger,  Pau-Puk-Keewis. 
On    the    dam    stood   Pau-Puk- 
Keewis, 

O'er  his  ankles  flowed  the  stream- 
let, 

Flowed  the  bright  and  silvery  water, 
And  he  spake  unto  the  beaver, 
With  a  smile  he  spake  in  this  wise : 
*O     my    friend     Ahmeek,    the 

beaver, 

Cool  and  pleasant  is  the  water; 
Let  me  dive  into  the  water, 
Let  me  rest  there  in  your  lodges; 
Change  me,  too,  into  a  beaver!' 
Cautiously  replied  the  beaver, 
With  reserve  he  thus  made  answer: 


'  Let  me  first  consult  the  others. 
Let  me  ask  the  other  beavers.' 
Down  he  sank  into  the  water, 
Heavily  sank  he,  as  a  stone  sinks, 
Down     among     the     leaves   and 

branches, 

Brown  and  matted  at  the  bottom. 
On    the    dam   stood   Pau-Puk- 
Keewis, 

O'er  his  ankles  flowed  the  stream- 
let, 
Spouted  through  the  chinks  below 

him, 
Dashed   upon    the  stones   beneath 

him, 

Spread  serene  and  calm  before  him ; 
And  the  sunshine  and  the  shadows 
Fell  in  flecks  and  gleams  upon  him, 
Fell  in  little  shining  patches, 
Through     the     waving,     rustling 

branches. 
From     the     bottom     rose     the 

beavers, 

Silently  above  the  surface 
Rose  one  head  and  then  another, 
Till    the    pond    seemed     full    of 

beavers, 
Full  of  black  and  shining  faces. 

To  the  beavers  Pau-Puk-Keewis 
Spake  entreating,  said  in  this  wise : 
'Very  pleasant  is  your  dwelling, 
O    my    friends!     and    safe    from 

danger; 

Can  you  not  with  all  your  cunning, 
All  your  wisdom  and  contrivance, 
Change  me,  too,  into  a  beaver?' 
'Yes!'      replied     Ahmeek,     the 

beaver, 

He  the  King  of  all  the  beavers, 
'  Let  yourself  slide  down  among  us, 
Down  into  the  tranquil  water.' 
Down  into  the  pond  among  them 


3be  Dunting  ot  pau*puh*Heewte 


Silently  sank  Pau-Puk-Keewis; 
Black  became  his  shirt  of  deerskin, 
Black  his  moccasins  and  leggings, 
In  a  broad  black  tail  behind  him 
Spread  his  fox-tails  and  his  fringes; 
He  was  changed  into  a  beaver. 
'Make  me  large,'  said  Pau-Puk- 
Keewis, 
'  Make    me    large    and    make    me 

larger, 

Larger  than  the  other  beavers.' 
'  Yes,'  the  beaver  chief  responded, 
'  When  our  lodge  below  you  enter, 
In  our  wigwam  we  will  make  you 
Ten  times  larger  than  the  others.' 

Thus  into  the  clear  brown  water 
Silently  sank  Pau-Puk-Keewis : 
Found  the  bottom  covered  over 
With    the    trunks    of    trees    and 

branches, 

Hoards  of  food  against  the  winter, 
Piles  and  heaps  against  the  famine; 
Found  the  lodge  with  arching  door- 
way, 

Leading  into  spacious  chambers. 
Here  they  made  him  large  and 

larger, 

Made  him  largest  of  the  beavers, 
Ten  times  larger  than  the  others. 
'You  shall  be  our  ruler,'  said  they; 
'Chief  and  King  of  all  the  beavers.' 
But    not    long    had    Pau-Puk- 
Keewis 

Sat  in  state  among  the  beavers, 
When  there  came  a  voice  of  warn- 
ing 

From  the  watchman  at  his  station 
In  the  water-flags  and  lilies, 
Saying,  'Here  is  Hiawatha! 
Hiawatha  with  his  hunters!' 
Then  they  heard    a    cry  above 
them, 


Heard  a  shouting  and  a  tramping, 

Heard  a  crashing  and  a  rushing, 

And    the    water    round    and    o'er 
them 

Sank  and  sucked  away  in  eddies, 

And    they   knew    their    dam    was 

broken. 
On  the  lodge's  roof  the  hunters 

Leaped,  and  broke  it  all  asunder; 

Streamed  the  sunshine  through  the 
crevice, 

Sprang    the  beavers   through    the 
doorway, 

Hid  themselves  in  deeper  water, 

In  the  channel  of  the  streamlet ; 

But  the  mighty  Pau-Puk-Keewis 

Could  not  pass  beneath  the  door- 
way; 

He    was   puffed    with    pride    and 
feeding, 

He  was  swollen  like  a  bladder. 
Through   the  roof  looked   Hia- 
watha, 

Cried  aloud, ' O  Pau-Puk-Keewis! 

Vain  are  all  your  craft  and  cun- 
ning, 

Vain  your  manifold  disguises! 

Well  I  knowyou,  Pau-Puk-Keewis!' 
With  their  clubs  they  beat  and 
bruised  him, 

Beat    to    death    poor    Pau  -  Puk  - 
Keewis, 

Pounded  him  as  maize  is  pounded, 

Till  his  skull  was  crushed  to  pieces. 
Six  tall  hunters,  lithe  and  limber, 

Bore    him    home    on    poles    and 
branches, 

Bore  the  body  of  the  beaver  ; 

But  the  ghost,  the  Jeebi  in  him, 

Thought    and    felt    as    Pau-Puk- 
Keewis, 

Still  lived  on  as  Pau-Puk-Keewis. 


from  Cbe  Sons  of  fjfawatba. 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 


I 


Beaver  in  the  act  of  cutting  a  branch  off  a  lodged  birch  tree.      The 
flashlight  was  fired  by  the  beaver. 


THE    ROMANCE 
OF    THE    BEAVER 


the  History  of  the  Beaver  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere. 


A.    RADGLYFFE    DUGMORE 

F.R.G.S.,  F.E.C.S. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  PHOTOGRAPHS  FROM 
LIFE    AND    DRAWINGS    BY     THE    AUTHOR 


Should  you  ask  where  Nawadaha 
Found  these  songs,  so  wild  and  wayward, 
Found  these  legends  and  traditions, 
I  should  answer,  I  should  tell  you, 
"  In  the  birds'-nests  of  the  forest, 
In  the  lodges  of  the  beaver." 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 

LONDON:    WILLIAM  HEINEMANN 


Printed  in  England. 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 1 

I.  THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  THEIR 
HABITS  OF  LIFE  AND  THEIR  WONDERFUL 
ENGINEERING  FEATS  ....  5 

II.     THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY   ...       79 

i 

III.  RESULTS  OF  BEAVERS'  WORK — IN  WHAT  WAY 

MAN  DERIVES  BENEFIT  FROM  THE  EN- 
GINEERING FEATS  OF  THE  COUNTLESS 
GENERATIONS  OF  BEAVERS — METHODS  FOR 
THEIR  PROTECTION  ....  140 

IV.  BEAVER   AND    CANADIAN    HISTORY — SHOWING 

SOMETHING  OF  THE  PART  PLAYED  BY  THEM 

IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COUNTRY    .     178 

V.    THE  BEAVER  AS  A  SPECIES    .         .         .         .     205 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE  BEAVER  LODGE  PLASTERED  OVER  WITH  THE 
PROTECTIVE  COATING  OF  MUD,  WHICH  WHEN 
FROZEN  RENDERS  THE  INMATES  SAFE  FROM  ANY 
ENEMIES  EXCEPT  MAN 

BEAVER  IN  THE  ACT  OF  CUTTING  A  BRANCH  OFF  A 

LODGED  BIRCH  TREE         .         .         .          Frontispiece 

TO  FACE  PAGE 

BEAVER  SWIMMING 6 

A   LARGE  BIRCH  TREE  CUT  BY  THE  BEAVERS  AND 

DROPPED    INTO   THE   WATER          .  .         ' ''•'"        .  7 

A  BIRCH  TREE  OVER  60  INCHES  IN  DIAMETER  CUT  BY 

BEAVER 10 

A  TYPICAL  LODGE  READY  FOR  ITS  FINAL  COATING  OF 
WET  SOD  AND  MUD,  WHICH  IS  PUT  ON  AS  SOON  AS 
THE  NIGHTS  ARE  COLD  ENOUGH  TO  FREEZE  IT  .  11 

BEAVER  CLEARING  A  ROADWAY        .         .         .         .14 
BEAVER  LODGE  CUT  OPEN  TO  SHOW  INTERIOR  .       15 

A  LODGE  WHICH  WITHSTOOD  SEVERAL  WEEKS'  SUB- 
MERGENCE DURING  A  FLOOD  ....  18 

AN    UNUSUALLY    LARGE    LODGE    (iN    NEWFOUNDLAND)         18 

BEAVER    LODGE    IN    A    SWAMP    CONCEALED    AMONG 

TAMARACK  AND  FIRS  19 


viii         LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

TO  FACE   PAGE 

A  TYPICAL  MUSK-RAT'S  HOUSE  (LONG  ISLAND,  N.Y.), 
WHICH  CLOSELY  RESEMBLES  A  VERY  ROUGHLY 
MADE  BEAVER'S  LODGE,  EXCEPT  THAT  REEDS 
INSTEAD  OF  LOGS  ARE  USED  .  VI ,'  »  .  V  •  24 

POPLAR  TREE  CUT  DOWN  BY  BEAVER      ...       24 

AN  INTERESTING  AND  SOMEWHAT  UNUSUAL  TYPE  OF 
LODGE  ON  THE  EDGE  OF  A  POND  SOME  DISTANCE 
AWAY  FROM  ANY  TREES  .  f.  '  .  .  .25 

SHOWS  AN  ISLAND  LODGE  IN  A  POND  MADE  BY  THE 

BEAVER.     '*'/"'      .    ''YT'     ?    '/'.   '    ''.          .       25 

A  DAM  IN  ITS  EARLY  STAGE  OF  CONSTRUCTION,  SHOWING 
HOW  THE  STICKS,  CHIEFLY  ALDER,  ARE  LAID 
LENGTHWAYS  WITH  THE  STREAM  ...  30 

BEAVER  ON  THE  TOP  OF  HIS  LODGE  ...  31 
A  VERY  MUCH  CURVED  DAM  .  ^  ^,/  jfw.. ,  .  .  36 

DAM     BUILT     ALMOST     ENTIRELY      OF      SMALL     STONES, 

WEIGHT  OF  WHICH  SELDOM  EXCEEDED  4  LBS.  .          37 

WHERE  THE  BEAVER  HAVE  CUT  GRASS  FOR  BEDDING 

(NEWFOUNDLAND)     i*    ;'*:!  '••''     .         .     r  ;vj       .       37 

A  SUBSIDIARY  OR  SUPPORTING  DAM  .  '-'j^  .  42 
MENDING  A  BROKEN  DAM  »'  v^  -;l  '+•••%•*•••  .  43 
BEAVER  IN  THE  ACT  OF  REPAIRING  A  BREAK  IN  THE 

DAM        •'.  .         ..**••"  V':-     :.B-!.-IJ«';V.    .    •-..       ^         4g 

A  GATE  OR  SPILLWAY  CUT  IN  THE  DAM  IN  ORDER  TO 

LET  THE  SURPLUS  WATER  ESCAPE     .      ,•#>*'      •       49 

SHOWING  THE  FACING  OF  A  RECENTLY  ABANDONED  DAM      49 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS  ix 

TO  FACE  PAOH 

RECENTLY  MADE  DAM     .         .frft    £     /'.-.  •*•.  ;   ;-,     .       52 

A  PROLONGED  RAIN  FLOODED  THE  STREAM  AND 

THREATENED  TO  CARRY  AWAY  THE  DAM,  SO  THE 
BEAVER  MADE  AN  OPENING  THROUGH  WHICH  THE 
WATER  ESCAPED  AND  THE  DAM  WAS  SAVED  .  52 

THE  SAME  DAM  AS  SHOWN  IN  PREVIOUS  ILLUSTRATION, 
BUT  SEEN  FROM  ABOVE  IN  ORDER  THAT  THE  OPEN- 
ING MADE  BY  THE  BEAVER  MIGHT  BE  MORE  CLEARLY 

SEEN     j";       •    ^;-.    !     .       '  ,•  ;    ;:       .    '         .        .^    .-'_          .          53 

Two  SUBSIDIARY  OR  SECONDARY  DAMS   ...       53 
IN  THIS  RAPID  STREAM  (NEWFOUNDLAND)  THE  BEAVER 

SELECTED  THE  ONLY  POSSIBLE  PLACE  FOR  THEIR 

DAM        -,.'•'..  t^    j,,.,^^.,    .   ..*•  .,>  ^-         •'   •      •       58 

THE  LOG  (CUT  BY  LUMBER-MEN)  SEEN  IN  THE  FORE- 
GROUND EVIDENTLY  SUGGESTED  TO  THE  BEAVER 
THE  SITE  FOR  THEIR  DAM,  AND  IS  AN  ILLUSTRATION 
OF  HOW  THEY  TAKE  ADVANTAGE  OF  CONDITIONS  .  58 

A  BIRCH  TREE  THAT  LODGED       .  '•         .         i*  '     .  59 

AN  ABANDONED  BEAVER  DAM  OVER  300  FEET  LONG  .  62 

STUMP  ON  A  DAM  CUT  FROM  THE  SURFACE  OF  SNOW    .  63 
A  TREE  WHICH  WAS  EVIDENTLY  CUT  WHEN  THE  GROUND 

WAS    COVERED    WITH    SNOW,   AS    THE   TOP    OF   THE 

STUMP  is  OVER  4  FEET  HIGH  .  .  .^  .  63 
BEAVERS'  BLAZING  OR  MARKING  ON  A  BIRCH  TREE  .  70 
A  MOST  INTERESTING  EXAMPLE  OF  BEAVER  CUTTING  .  70 

THIS    SHOWS    THAT   SECOND   THOUGHTS   ARE   BEST  71 


x  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

TO  FACE   PACK 

A  BEAVER  DAM  ABOUT  500  FEET  LONG  BUT  ONLY 

4£  FEET  IN  HEIGHT        ,«..,•    ,lf  t*,        •         •       86 
BIRCH  TREE  PARTLY  CUT  THROUGH  BY  BEAVER        .       87 

A  LODGE  BUILT  ON  THE  BANK  OF  SANDY  RIVER  (NEW- 
FOUNDLAND), WITH  A  LARGE  STORE  OF  LOGS  AND 
BRUSH  PILED  IN  THE  WATER  FOR  WlNTER  USE  .  90 

BEAVER  SHORT-CUT  PATH  FROM  POND  TO  RIVER  SHOWN 

IN  DIAGRAM     .        V 91 

A  BEAVER'S  ROAD  FROM  THE  WOODS  TO  THE  WATER  .       91 

BEAVER  STRIKING  THE  WATER  WITH  HIS  TAIL  AS  A 

SIGNAL  OF  ALARM    .      '  <     •    .     •    •»         .         .       94 

THE  END  OF  THE  SPLASH  AS  THE  BEAVER  DISAPPEARS 

AFTER  SOUNDING  THE  SIGNAL  OF  ALARM   .         .       95 

LODGE  BUILT  AMONG  ALDERS          V        ...       98 

THE  ORDINARY  TYPE  OF  DAM  FOUND  IN  A  FAIRLY  FLAT 

DISTRICT  (NEWFOUNDLAND)       f-.t.^^.      .         .       98 

PART  OF  A  POPLAR  GROVE  WHICH  WAS  COMPLETELY  CUT 

DOWN  BY  A  SMALL  COLONY  OF  BEAVER          .  .          99 

THE  BEAVERS'  DINING  PLACE  SHOWN  BY  THE  PEELED 

STICKS     .-  ',  ••  r**''i.M:*^M;  <•  •  .>*  <    •*v.V*.f        .      108 

THE  BEAVERS'  SUMMER  HOME         .         .         .  .     108 

BEAVER  CUTTINGS,  SEVEN-EIGHTHS  NATURAL  SIZE  .     109 

A  LARGE  BIRCH  TREE  VERY  CLUMSILY  CUT      .  .112 

BEAVER  CUTTING  UP  A  BIRCH  BRANCH    .         .  .113 

BEAVER'S  LODGE  WHICH  HAS  RECEIVED  PART  OF  ITS 

WINTER  COAT  OF  MUD  AND  SOD  116 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 

TO  FACE  PAGE 

THREE  POPLARS  CUT  FROM  A  SINGLE  STUMP    .         .117 

BEAVERS'  ROAD  FROM  THE  WATER  TO  A  GROVE  OF 

POPLARS  .         .      *  /        .         .   "/  .         .     122 

BEAVER  INSPECTING  THE  DAM  WHICH  HAS  BEEN  BROKEN 

IN  ORDER  THAT  THE  PICTURE  MIGHT  BE  SECURED  .     123 

A  DAM  MADE  CHIEFLY  OF  LARGE  LOGS,  THE  SlZE  OF 

WHICH  IS  SHOWN  BY  COMPARISON  WITH  MAN         .       128 

THE  SAME  DAM  AS  THAT  SHOWN  IN  PREVIOUS  ILLUS- 
TRATION, PHOTOGRAPHED  FROM  THE  LOWER  SIDE  ; 
THE  MAN,  WHO  is  OVER  6  FEET  TALL,  GIVES  AN 
IDEA  OF  THE  SIZE  OF  THE  STRUCTURE  .  .  129 

A  DAM  WHEN  KEPT  IN  REPAIR  RETAINS  THE  WATER  OF 

THE  POND  ALMOST  TO  ITS  EXTREME  CROWN  .       140 

AS  ADAM  FALLS  INTO  DECAY  THE  SlTE  BECOMES  OVER- 
GROWN WITH  ALDERS  AND  WILLOWS  .  .  .141 

THIS  DAM,  NO  LONGER  KEPT  IN  REPAIR,  WILL  LET  THE 
WATER  ESCAPE,  AND  BEFORE  LONG  WILL  LOSE  ALL 
SEMBLANCE  OF  ITS  ORIGINAL  FORM  .  .  .  141 

A  BEAVER  POND  SEEN  FROM  AN  ELEVATION.      THE 

LODGES  ARE  SEEN  ON  THE  EXTREME  RIGHT       .     144 

A   COMPARATIVELY   NEW   BEAVER   POND    FILLED    WITH 

TREES  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  KILLED  BY  THE  WATER    144 

WHEN  THE  DAM  BEGINS  TO  DISINTEGRATE  THE  POND 

RAPIDLY  DWINDLES  TO  AN  INSIGNIFICANT  SlZE     .     145 

EVENTUALLY  NOTHING  OF  THE  POND  REMAINS,  AND 
THE  STREAM  RESUMES  ITS  LONG-INTERRUPTED 
COURSE  .  148 


xii          LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

TO   FACE   PAGE 

WHAT  WAS  ORIGINALLY  FOREST  LAND,  THEN  FOR  MANY 
YEARS  A  BEAVER  POND  OR  LAKE,  BECOMES  A  RICH 
MEADOW,  WHICH  is  ULTIMATELY  DEVOTED  TO  THE 
USE  OF  MAN  .......  149 

AN  EXAMPLE  OF  A  DIMINISHING  LAKE  AND  CORRE- 
SPONDING INCREASE  IN  THE  SIZE  OF  THE  "  BEAVER 
MEADOW  " 152 

A  BEAVER  POND  WHICH  MAY  EVENTUALLY  BECOME 

MEADOW  LAND 153 

A   FRESH   BEAVER-CUT   STUMP   SHOWING   THE  KEEN 

CUTTING  THROUGH  THE  HARD  BIRCH  .  .  .158 
LODGE  BUILT  BY  BEAVER  IN  THE  WASHINGTON  Zoo  .  159 
DAM  BUILT  BY  BEAVER  IN  THE  WASHINGTON  Zoo  .  159 

THE  OUTCAST          .  •   ^-1   ' 162 

A  ROUGH  EXAMPLE  OF  BEAVER  LODGE  IN  WHICH  VERY 

LITTLE  SOD  OR  MUD  HAS  AS  YET  BEEN  USED  .       163 

TYPE  OF  LODGE  BUILT  ON  AN  ISLAND     .         .         .163 
REPAIRING  A  BROKEN  DAM 166 

A  SUBSIDIARY  OR  SECONDARY  DAM  BUILT  TO  SUPPORT 
THE  MAIN  STRUCTURE,  WHICH  MAY  BE  SEEN  ON 
THE  MIDDLE  AND  RIGHT  SIDE  OF  THE  UPPER  PART 
OF  THE  PICTURE  .  .  .  .  .  .167 

A  FINE  EXAMPLE  OF  A  WOODLAND  DAM,  365  FEET  IN 
LENGTH,  OF  WHICH  ABOUT  70  FEET  WAS  OVER 
7  FEET  HIGH  .  -'.•-<»  ^  *;- :•  r  ,;  •  .  .  174 

IN  SPITE  OF  THE  TIMIDITY  OF  BEAVER  THEY  SOME- 
TIMES SELECT  CURIOUSLY  PUBLIC  PLACES  FOR 

THEIR  SCENE  OF  OPERATIONS  ....  175 
BEAVERS'  ATTEMPT  TO  IMPROVE  ON  MAN'S  WORK  .  175 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS          xiii 

TO  FACE  PAGE 

WORKING  ON  THE  LODGE  AND  CARRYING  BRANCHES  TO 
THE  WINTER  STORE,  WHICH  is  PLACED  IN  THE 
WATER  AND  QUITE  NEAR  THE  HOUSE.     (Painting)    176 
THE  WINTER  LIFE  OF  THE  BEAVER.     (Painting)       .     177 
CANAL  MADE  BY  BEAVER  IN  ORDER  TO  ENABLE  THEM 

TO  TRANSPORT  THEIR  WOOD   CUTTINGS  FROM  THE 

SOURCE  OF  SUPPLY  TO  THE  POND  IN  WHICH  THE 

WINTER  FOOD  SUPPLY  is  STORED.  (Painting)  .  184 
ROLLING  A  LOG  DOWN  THEIR  ROADWAY  TO  THE  POND, 

WHEN  IT  WILL  BE  FLOATED  TO  THE  WlNTER  STORE. 

(Painting)  .  .;'  . '  . '  '  _ "  ."  ' '' '_'  ^  _ ' ' "  ,  '  .  185 
BEAVERS  GATHERING  THEIR  SUPPLY  OF  WOOD. 

(Painting)  .  '*••/*•  .*•"..  -..*«<  >-  196 
BEAVERS  WORKING  ON  THEIR  DAM.  (Painting)  .  197 
Castor  fiber — EUROPEAN  BEAVER  ....  202 
Castor  canadensis — CANADIAN  BEAVER  .  .  .  202 
Castor  fiber — EUROPEAN  BEAVER  ....  203 
Castor  canadensis — CANADIAN  BEAVER  .  .  .  203 
LE  BEAU'S  MARVELLOUS  VISION,  PUBLISHED  IN  1738  .  212 
IN  BIRCH  BARK  CANOES  LIKE  THIS  THE  BEAVER  SKINS 

WERE  CARRIED  FROM  THE  WlLDS  TO  MONTREAL 

AND    OTHER   CENTRES  .  .  .  .  213 


ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   THE   TEXT 


PAGE 


A  BEAVER  LODGE 23 

SECTION  OF  BEAVER  DAM 33 

ARRANGEMENT  OF  MAIN  AND  SUBSIDIARY  DAMS  IN 

PLAN  AND  SECTION  41 


xiv         LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A  BEAVER  POND  IN  NORTH  ONTARIO  SHOWING  HOW 

THE  COURSE  OF  A  STREAM  WAS  DIVERTED          .       71 

DIAGRAM  OF  BEAVERS'  POND  .  '^  '  .       :V     .       80 

THE  BEAVER  AND  PECULIAR  IDEAS  OF  LODGES        .     183 
LABEL  OF  THE  HUDSON'S  BAY  COMPANY,  AS  USED  AT 

THE   PRESENT   TlME 203 

FEET  OF  ADULT  MALE  BEAVER  (LEFT  SIDE)    .         .     207 

BEAVER  TAIL 209 

LOWER  JAW  OF  BEAVER  WITH  THE  NEAR  SIDE  OF  JAW 

CUT  AWAY  IN  ORDER  TO  SHOW  THE  TOTAL  LENGTH 

OF  THE  INCISOR  TOOTH  AND  THE  COMPARATIVELY 
SMALL  AMOUNT  THAT  PROJECTS          .         .         .     210 

SKELETON  OF  BEAVER  211 


DEDICATED 

BY 
SPECIAL  PERMISSION  TO 

H.R.H. 

THE    DUKE    OF    CONNAUGHT, 
K.G.,  K.T.,  K.P.,  P.C.,  ETC., 

GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  object  of  this  little  book  is  two-fold  :  first, 
as  people  of  nearly  all  classes  and  ages  appear  to 
be    interested    in    the    life    and    habits    of    the 
beaver,   to  provide   a   book  on   the   subject   free 
from  exaggeration,  and  not  too  technical ;  secondly, 
to  call  attention  to  the  question  of  protecting  the 
most  interesting  animal  to-day  extant.      We  are 
apt  to   drift  along  so  busied   by  our  own  affairs 
that  the  future  is   too  often  forgotten,  as  indeed 
is    the    immediate    present,     except    in     so    far 
as   it  intimately   affects   us   and   our  daily  lives. 
Occasionally  we  wake  up — some  of  us  at  least — and 
realise  with   a    shock    that  something  is  slipping 
from   our  grasp,  that  the   world   is  in  imminent 
danger  of  losing  some  particular  and  interesting 
form  of  life,  for  once  a  species  is  gone  no  power  of 
man  will  ever  recall  it.     If  our  awakening  is  not 
too  late,  and  our  energies  are  sufficient,  we  make  a 
great  cry  that  is  heard  far  and  near  and  the  species 
is    perhaps    saved.       If    our    cry    is    only    half- 
hearted, the  disappearance  of  the  bird  or  animal 
is    arrested,   and    we    are    satisfied ;    but   apathy 
follows  only  too  often,  and  then  more  than  likely 

i      R.B.  B 


2  INTRODUCTION 

the   destruction    continues,   and    at    our    second 
awakening  we  are  probably  too  late. 

We  owe  a  great  deal  to  those  who  follow  us,  for 
we  are  the  stewards  into  whose  keeping  the  world 
is  entrusted ;  we  populate  the  world  with  our 
children  who  have  the  right  to  ask  an  account  of 
our  stewardship,  and  their  children,  and  their 
children's  children  after  them.  As  we  build 
museums  and  libraries  to  store  away  and  preserve 
to  the  best  of  our  ability  those  things  which  though 
perishable,  we  believe  to  be  of  interest,  so  must  we 
do  all  in  our  power  to  protect  the  birds  and  animals 
that  are  practically  imperishable  except  through 
man's  too  frequent  destructive  agency.  Some 
animals  are  probably  doomed  to  extermination,  as 
wild  creatures  at  any  rate,  and  perhaps  also  as 
captives  ;  among  these  are  the  lions,  leopards,  rhino- 
ceroses and  others,  whose  methods  of  life  are  not 
conducive  to  human  advancement  and  comfort. 
They  can  only  be  preserved  as  mounted  specimens 
and  in  photographs  ;  such  pictures  whether  single 
or  cinematographs  will  be  of  untold  interest  to 
those  who  follow  us  and  we  should  feel  the  obliga- 
tion of  not  only  securing  really  good  negatives  but 
of  having  those  we  have  got  properly  cared  for. 
Too  often  have  I  urged  this  and  yet  how  little  is 
being  done  !  With  the  beaver  it  is  not  so  much  a 
question  of  securing  photographs,  for  the  beaver 
do  not  lend  themselves  to  pictorial  efforts.  It  is 
a  question  of  securing  for  him  proper  protection. 


INTRODUCTION  3 

What  Colonel  Roosevelt,  Dr.  W.  T.  Hornaday 
(of  the  New  York  Zoological  Society),  the 
Audubon  Societies,  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History  of  New  York  and  other  organisations 
and  individuals  have  done  for  birds,  and  some 
animals,  should  be  done  for  the  beaver.  The 
perpetuation  of  the  species  could  be  carried  on 
with  so  little  trouble,  and  the  results  would  repay 
the  efforts  ten-thousandfold. 

If  this  little  book  does  anything  to  call  attention 
to  the  question  of  adequate  protection  either  in  the 
United  States,  Canada,  Newfoundland,  and  else- 
where, the  many  years  of  hard  work  will  be  more 
than  amply  repaid.  In  treating  the  subject  I  have 
avoided  all  mention  of  methods  of  trapping  as  it  is 
intended  as  a  constructive  and  not  a  destructive 
work.  Someone  will  come  after  me  who  will  no 
doubt  treat  the  subject  of  beaver  life  far  better  and 
with  greater  thoroughness.  That  work  will,  I 
trust,  be  received  with  gratitude.  In  the  mean- 
time those  who  are  interested  in  the  subject  will 
perhaps  experience  some  slight  pleasure  from  this 
effort  to  call  attention  to  the  beaver,  his  work, 
and  its  far-reaching  effects. 

Among  those  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for 
information  are  many  who  have  passed  to  the  land 
of  shadows,  but  have  left  behind  them  the  results 
of  their  observations.  I  therefore  offer  my  thanks, 
both  to  the  living  and  the  dead — most  conspicuous 
among  them  being  Lewis  H.  Morgan,  for  "  The 

B  2 


4  INTRODUCTION 

American  Beaver  and  His  Works "  (published  in 
1868  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.),  Horace  T.  Mar- 
tin, F.Z.S.,  &c.,  for  "  Castorologia,  or  the  History 
and  Traditions  of  the  Canadian  Beaver"  (1892), 
Ernest  Thompson  Seton  for  "Life  Histories  of 
Northern  Animals,"  and  Enos  A.  Mills  for  "  In 
Beaver  World"  (1913),  and  to  the  Jesuit  fathers. 

For  the  photographs  which  illustrate  this  volume 
I  can  but  say  that  I  have  done  my  best,  and  have 
never  spared  myself  in  my  efforts  to  get  the  most 
satisfactory  results.  Some  of  the  photographs  of 
the  animals  themselves  have  been  slightly  re- 
touched. It  is  my  first  offence  in  this  direction, 
and  has  only  been  done  because  after  careful  con- 
sideration it  seemed  so  very  necessary.  The  reader 
will  never  realise  the  amount  of  labour  that  has 
been  devoted  to  securing  the  pictures  given,  for 
they  are  illustrations  rather  than  pictures.  Let 
him  therefore  pass  over  their  defects  with  a  kindly 
consideration  and  not  be  too  severe  if  in  the  text 
he  finds  statements  which  do  not  agree  with  his 
own  ideas  and  experiences. 

A.   RADCLYFFE   DUGMORE. 

CEETE  HILL, 

SOUTH  NUTFIELD. 


CHAPTER  1 

THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  THEIR  HABITS 
OF  LIFE  AND  THEIR  WONDERFUL  ENGINEERING 
FEATS 

IN  a  quiet  pond,  far  away  in  the  wilds  of  Canada, 
a  small,  dark  object  appeared  silently  and  without 
disturbing  the  serenity  of  the  placid  waters.  A 
few  minutes  later,  the  small  object  moved  slowly 
along,  and  lengthening  quivering  lines  made  the 
inverted  images  of  the  opposite  trees  tremble  in  the 
reflected  sunset  so  that  the  dark  greens  of  the  firs 
and  rich  reds  and  yellows  of  the  birches  and  maples 
danced  together  in  the  ripples.  The  dark  object 
was  a  beaver  and  he  was  filled  with  the  fear  of  man, 
inherited  through  a  long  line  of  ancestors  who  had 
striven  to  outwit  those  that  sought  their  destruc- 
tion. This  survivor  of  a  much  persecuted  race  had 
sought  the  far  away  country  with  the  hope  of  being 
able  to  live  with  his  family  unmolested  by  the 
constant  dread  of  the  steel  trap.  Unlimited  care 
and  constant  watchfulness  were  the  price  he  must 
be  always  ready  to  pay  for  his  safety.  And  even 
so  the  chances  were  entirely  against  him. 

Not  until  the  sun  had  set,  and  the  sky  was 
lighted  by  the  glorious  afterglow,  had  he  ventured 


6         ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

to  leave  the  protection  of  his  well-built  house.     A 
long  swim  under  water  brought  him  to  the  middle 
of  the  pond  which  he  and  his  family  had  made. 
From  this  point  he  could  inspect  the   encircling 
hiUsides,   and   the  friendly  currents  of  air  would 
perhaps  carry  to  his  keen  nose  the  scent  of  any 
human    enemy   who    might    be    lurking    in    the 
neighbourhood.      Apparently  the  evening  breeze 
was   untainted    by   man-scent.      But  the   beaver 
considered  it  wise  to  make  still  more  sure,  so  he 
swam    a    short    distance,    and    then   disappeared 
beneath  the  water  so  softly  that  scarcely  a  ripple 
marked  the  place  where  he  had   dived.     A  few 
minutes  later,  he  quietly  reappeared  close  to  the 
shore  on  the  lee  side  of  the  pond.     Once  more  he 
remained  as  still  as  a  floating  log,  his  nose  pointed 
toward  the  almost  imperceptible  breeze,  his  dark 
rounded  ears  raised  to  catch  the  slightest  sound. 
Then  slowly  and  silently  he  swam  round  the  pond 
closely  following  the  irregular  shore  line.     No  sign 
of  danger  could  he  find.     Evidently  no  stranger 
had  come  near  his  home  since  he  had  entered  his 
house  that  morning.     So  when  he  came  to  where 
the  water  was  very  shallow  he   cut   off  a   small 
willow  branch  and  proceeded  to  nibble  the  bark  for 
his  supper. 

In  the  stiUness  of  the  evening  the  grating  sound 
of  his  sharp  teeth  cutting  through  the  bark  sounded 
loudly.  His  family  in  the  lodge  at  the  further  end 
of  the  pond  heard  it  and  knew  that  they  could 


A  large  birch  tree  cut  by  the  beavers  and  dropped  into  the  water.  All  the 
branches  are  to  be  cut  and  carried  away,  while  the  trunk,  which  is  too 
thick  to  be  conveniently  cut,  is  being  stripped  of  its  bark  for  the 
immediate  needs  of  the  animals. 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   7 

come  forth  with  safety.  Three  small  heads  soon 
appeared  on  the  surface  of  the  water  near  the 
house  and  soon  another  and  larger  one.  She  was 
the  mother  of  the  three,  and  she  was  satisfied  that 
her  husband  had  sufficiently  well  examined  the 
immediate  vicinity.  So  without  wasting  time  she 
and  her  youngsters  proceeded  each  to  their 
particular  choice  of  shrub  or  tree  and  ate  what 
they  wanted. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  October,  the  busiest 
month  in  the  beavers'  year.  The  cold  nights 
warned  them  of  the  approaching  winter.  The 
glistening  white  frost  which  covered  the  grass  each 
night  with  its  myriad  crystals  and  the  thin  sheets 
of  "  window-pane  "  ice  which  bordered  the  pond 
were  the  forerunners  of  the  cold  that  would  come 
later.  The  terrible,  relentless  cold  which  held  all 
that  northern  country  in  its  icy  embrace,  which 
made  the  ponds  resemble  solid  land  and  subdued 
the  most  turbulent  streams  by  converting  them 
into  irregular  masses  of  snow-covered  ice  ;  the  cold 
which  so  often  for  months  at  a  time  held  the 
beavers  prisoners  in  their  houses,  free  only  to  roam 
in  the  pond  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  impenetrable 
ice ;  the  pitiless  cold  which  spreads  famine  among 
the  dwellers  of  the  northern  woods  so  that  hunger- 
bred  courage,  and  the  cunning  persistence  which 
comes  from  necessity,  renders  the  wolves  and 
gluttons  a  source  of  danger  to  all  beavers,  especially 
to  those  who  are  not  well-housed.  Therefore,  in 


8          ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

October  or  even  earlier,  the  beavers  must  work 
diligently  and  make  use  of  the  extraordinary 
intelligence  which  they  have  developed  through 
the  thousands  of  years  since  they  became  as  we 
know  them  to-day. 

The  beavers  we  have  been  watching  in  the  little 
far-away  pond  spent  but  a  short  time  over  their 
afternoon  tea.  The  time  for  enjoyment  and  ease 
had  passed,  and  they  must  get  to  work.  The  dam 
had  to  be  finished.  The  house  needed  its  outside 
coating  of  mud  and  there  was  still  a  large  amount 
of  wood  to  be  cut  for  the  winter  supply.  Alto- 
gether an  appalling  lot  to  be  done  in  the  short  time 
that  remained  before  winter ;  and  so  the  little 
animals  left  their  partly-peeled  twigs  and  each 
went  to  do  that  which  he  considered  most  neces- 
sary for  the  welfare  of  the  family.  The  father 
first  made  a  careful  inspection  of  the  dam  and 
found  many  places  which  were  in  need  of  additional 
material.  This  he  procured  from  the  bottom  of 
the  pond,  bringing  up  big  sods  of  earth  and  partly 
decayed  grass  which  he  carried  in  his  hands,  under 
his  chin.  As  these  were  brought  to  the  dam  he 
pushed  them  into  position,  arranging  every  piece 
so  that  the  structure  was  level  and  fairly  smooth. 
Here  and  there  a  stick  or  short  log  was  deemed 
necessary ;  some  of  these  he  found  on  the  water's 
edge,  others  on  the  shore.  The  mother  beaver  in 
the  meantime  was  busily  engaged  in  improving  the 
house.  This  needed  more  sticks  and  the  weak 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    9 

places  had  to  be  filled  in  with  sod  and  mud.  The 
young  assisted  in  this  work,  each  bringing  his  small 
load  and  arranging  it  as  he  had  seen  his  parents  do. 
Occasionally,  the  family  stopped  work  altogether 
and  took  time  to  nibble  a  little  bark  from  some 
particularly  tempting  branch.  Then  a  very  impor- 
tant work  demanded  attention.  The  cutting  of 
trees  and  gathering  of  the  winter  supply  of  food. 
On  this  must  depend  their  safety  during  the  cold 
weather.  A  few  days  ago,  they  had  felled  a  large 
birch  tree  which  had  dropped  on  the  edge  of  the 
pond.  Already  they  had  cut  off  many  of  the  most 
accessible  branches  and  now  they  continued  the 
work  of  stripping  the  trunk  of  its  limbs.  Some 
were  so  large  that  it  was  necessary  to  cut  them 
into  several  sections,  their  length  depending  on  the 
thickness.  As  each  piece  was  cut  through  with 
their  keen-edged  teeth,  it  was  floated  across  the 
water  to  the  pile  near  the  house.  In  swimming, 
the  beaver  held  the  branch  with  his  teeth,  and  on 
arriving  at  the  food  pile,  he  would  take  a  fresh  grip 
with  his  teeth  and  dive  down  carrying  the  branch 
with  him.  Then  the  whole  pile  would  tremble 
slightly  as  he  forced  the  piece  into  the  tangled  mass 
of  sticks,  well  below  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Trip  after  trip  was  made  in  this  manner,  each  trip 
adding  its  mite  to  the  great  supply  of  winter  food, 
and  while  the  young  were  thus  engaged  one  of  the 
old  ones  was  up  in  the  woods  searching  for  a  fresh 
tree  to  cut  down. 


10       ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

Many  things  had  to  be  considered  in  the  selec- 
tion of  a  suitable  tree.  It  must  be  in  a  place 
where  it  could  be  easily  cut,  and  not  too  far  from 
the  water.  Then  it  should  be  clear  of  other  trees 
so  that  it  would  fall — unfortunately  they  often 
make  mistakes  in  this  respect — and  finally  what  is 
of  great  importance,  the  tree  must  be  in  the  right 
condition.  That  could  only  be  ascertained  by 
cutting  into  the  bark,  and  as  he  went  about  he 
marked  several  trees  in  this  way  before  finding  one 
that  suited  his  fastidious  taste.  Then,  sitting  on 
his  hind  legs,  with  his  large,  heavy  tail  as  a  balance, 
he  commenced  the  hard  work  of  biting  through 
the  tough  wood,  after  first  eating  the  coating  of 
bark.  The  noise  made  by  his  sharp  teeth  tearing 
out  the  great  chips  sounded  loud  in  the  still  even- 
ing. Crunch,  crunch,  crunch,  crunch,  then  a  pause 
as  he  dropped  the  clean  cut  chips ;  and  again  the 
crunching  resounded  through  the  darkening  woods. 
For  half  an  hour  this  continued.  Then  as  a  beaver 
does  not  like  to  work  too  long  on  any  one  task,  he 
shuffled  off,  leaving  the  birch  tree  with  its  gaping 
wound  gleaming  white  against  the  sombre  back- 
ground. 

There  was  a  road  to  make  from  where  that  tree 
would  fall,  down  to  the  pond,  so  the  beaver 
attended  to  that,  combining  pleasure  with  his 
labours,  for  as  he  found  small  saplings  of  hazel  or 
mountain  ash  growing  in  the  line  of  the  path,  he 
cut  them  down  and  ate  off  some  of  the  bark. 


•a 


*£ 

H  S 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    11 

Others  he  carried  down  to  the  water  and  swam 
with  them  to  the  harvest  pile.  Nothing  must  be 
wasted.  Every  shrub  or  sapling  which  obstructed 
the  way  had  to  be  cut  down ;  if  it  was  not  good 
enough  for  food  it  could  at  least  be  used  in  the 
construction  of  house  or  dam.  And  the  beaver 
continued  his  work  as  though  he  fully  realised  the 
importance  of  doing  it  well  and  thoroughly. 
Occasionally,  he  was  joined  by  the  other  members 
of  his  family,  and  the  big  yellow  full  moon  rising 
above  the  tree  tops  watched  the  industrious  little 
animals  as  it  had  watched  their  predecessors  for 
thousands  of  years.  With  each  generation  the 
same  work  had  been  carried  on  with  the  same 
persistence,  the  same  regularity  and  in  the  same 
way.  The  only  visible  change  was  that  in  former 
years,  before  man  had  begun  the  work  of  destroy- 
ing the  harmless  creatures,  and  which,  since  the 
arrival  of  the  white  people  of  the  eastern  world,  had 
been  so  ruthlessly  carried  on,  the  beavers  did  their 
wood-cutting  and  dam-building  almost  as  much  by 
daylight  as  by  the  light  of  the  stars  and  moon.* 
But  the  little  fur-bearers  had  learned  gradually 
that  the  sun  was  not  their  friend  ;  it  offered  them 
no  protection  from  the  deadly  persecutions  of  their 
two-footed  enemies,  and  so  they  had  come  to  work 
only  under  the  friendly  cover  of  darkness,  or  by  the 

*  Although  James  Hearne,  who  was  a  most  careful  observer, 
states  that,  even  in  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  "  All 
their  work  is  done  in  the  night," 


12        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

soft  light  of  the  moon  and  the  twinkling  of  the 
stars.  Even  then,  they  were  always  nervously 
alert,  each  sound  must  be  understood  before  it 
could  be  ignored.  A  falling  leaf  floating  almost 
noiselessly  to  earth  would  cause  them  to  desist  in 
their  labours,  for  though  they  knew  full  well  that 
during  the  autumn  the  leaves,  having  fulfilled  their 
duties,  bid  farewell  to  the  slender  branches,  yet 
their  falling  might  mean  the  stealthy  approach  of  a 
man  who,  touching  the  tree  as  he  passes,  shakes 
down  the  dying  leaves.  The  noiseless  tread  of  the 
deer  as  it  carefully  made  its  way  over  the  velvet 
carpet  of  moss  they  knew,  and  as  it  meant  no  harm, 
they  seldom  took  notice  of  it.  No  man  walked 
liked  that.  Even  the  moccasined  foot  of  the 
Indian  made  more  sound,  and  set  up  a  vibration 
on  the  earth's  surface  which  in  no  way  resembled 
the  delicate  footfall  of  the  wild  animals.  But  their 
enemies,  the  powerful  wolverines,  the  padded-footed 
lynx,  and  the  hungry,  clever,  keen-witted  wolf 
could  approach  without  sound  or  warning  save  the 
scent  which  they  could  not  disguise.  Therefore, 
when  the  beaver  worked,  his  mind  was  divided, 
and  he  stopped  at  frequent  intervals  to  listen,  and 
to  test  the  air  for  signals  of  danger,  and  at  the 
slightest  warning  he  would  make  his  way  to  the 
water  which  offered  a  safe  retreat  from  nearly  all 
of  his  enemies.  If  the  danger  was  imminent,  he 
and  all  his  family  could  seek  safety  in  the  house, 
and  remain  there  perhaps  for  the  rest  of  the  night, 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    13 

coming  out  only  under  water  to  take  some  twigs 
into  the  house  where  they  could  enjoy  a  meal 
without  fear  of  pursuit. 

But  the  night  passed  without  mishap,  and  the 
first  gleam  of  dawn  saw  them  still  busily  engaged 
in  their  various  tasks,  hidden  from  view  by  the 
mist  which  nearly  always  settles  on  the  ponds 
during  the  cool  nights. 

As  the  rising  sun  cleared  the  air,  the  beavers, 
tired  after  the  long  night's  work,  retired  to  their 
house,  all  holding  an  animated  conversation  as 
though  discussing  the  work  they  had  accomplished. 
Gradually  the  puppy-like  voices  died  away  before 
the  morning  breeze  disturbed  the  surface  of  the 
pond,  and  they  slept  the  sleep  of  those  who  have 
worked  hard  and  well,  and  earned  their  rest.  Let 
us  leave  them  there  to  dream  of  the  days  when  the 
steel  trap  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past  and  they  will 
be  able  to  continue  the  work  which  Nature  intended 
they  should  do. 

We  have  had  a  glimpse  of  them  in  their  far-away 
home  and  have  seen  a  typical  night's  employment. 
Perhaps  the  question  comes  to  us,  Why  do  they 
have  to  work  so  hard  ?  Most  of  the  wild  animals 
live  a  life  of  comparative  ease,  thinking  only  of  the 
day  and  making  no  plans,  no  provision  for  the 
morrow.  Their  food  is  gathered  as  it  is  needed, 
and  most  of  them  have  their  homes  where  they 
happen  to  be.  When  tired  they  seek  a  sheltered 
spot  and  go  to  sleep,  and  beyond  watching  for 


14        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

danger,  they  trouble  themselves  but  little.  But 
the  beaver  has  definite  ideas  of  what  is  necessary 
for  his  welfare.  He  plans  months  ahead.  He 
undertakes  stupendous  tasks — tasks  which  demand 
skill  of  no  mean  order.  Indeed,  some  of  the  most 
important  work  done  by  them  may  seem  at  first 
glance  to  be  superfluous.  Why,  for  instance,  does 
he  build  dams  when  water  is  abundant  nearly 
everywhere  within  his  natural  range  ?  Let  us, 
therefore,  examine  the  work  and  see  how  it  serves 
a  very  definite  purpose,  and  having  done  that  we 
will  follow  the  beaver  throughout  a  few  years  of 
their  lives  and  see  how  they  live  and  how  thoroughly 
their  various  undertakings  work  out  in  the  best 
possible  way. 

The  most  conspicuous  work,  so  far  as  visible 
results  are  concerned,  is  the  dam  ;  and  the  purpose 
it  serves  is  not  so  much  to  make  a  swimming  pool, 
as  some  people  imagine,  as  to  keep  a  body  of  water 
at  a  more  or  less  constant  level  in  order  to  ensure 
certain  ends :  (1)  to  conceal  the  entrances  to  the 
houses  and  so  prevent  the  entrance  of  any  land 
enemies,  (2)  to  be  a  place  for  the  safe  storage  of 
wood  for  food  during  the  winter,  (3)  to  render  the 
transporting  of  this  wood  as  simple  as  possible,  and 
(4)  to  be  a  place  of  retreat  in  case  of  attack.  To 
better  appreciate  the  value  of  the  dam  it  is  necessary 
to  understand  the  structure  of  the  houses,  for  there 
are  several  types.  The  most  primitive  is  simply  a 
hole  in  a  bank,  with  no  surface  work.  This  repre- 


•I 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    15 

sents  what  is  probably  the  original  and  primitive 
form  of  house.  The  entrances,  for  there  are  usually 
more  than  one,  are  well  below  the  surface  of  the 
water.  Then  we  have  the  next  step  in  advance- 
ment :  the  hole  in  the  bank  with  the  living  chamber 
coming  to  the  surface,  so  that  in  order  to  make  it 
more  secure  against  marauders  and  render  it  drier, 
a  roughly  arranged  pile  of  brush,  sticks,  logs,  and 
mud  and  grass  is  heaped  over  it.  From  this  it 
is  but  a  step  to  the  house  which  is  entirely  above 
ground,  and  placed  either  on  the  bank  or  on  an 
island,  and  then  the  final  development  in  which  the 
beavers  make  the  island  as  a  foundation. 

In  appearance,  the  two  latter  types  are  identical 
and  both  have  the  entrances  beneath  the  water. 
In  building  these  houses  or  lodges,  as  they  are  more 
commonly  called,  the  beginning  is  a  composition  of 
mud,  brush  and  small  sticks,  from  which  the  bark 
is  nearly  always  eaten.  Whether  the  mound  is 
placed  over  the  opening  of  the  burrow,  or  whether 
the  burrow  is  made  after  the  house  has  been  started, 
I  cannot  say  with  absolute  certainty,  but  from 
what  I  have  observed  of  the  beginnings  of  lodges, 
there  seems  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  burrow 
precedes  the  lodge.  Gradually,  as  the  mound 
becomes  large  enough,  the  inside  is  hollowed  out, 
then  more  and  more  material  is  added  to  the  out- 
side, larger  sticks  and  even  poles  or  logs  are  used, 
all  more  or  less  pointing  to  the  apex,  so  that  they 
support  each  other  to  some  extent.  Water- 


16        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

soaked  grass,  roots  and  mud  are  employed  to  fill 
in  the  openings,  with  the  result  of  making  the 
whole  structure  nearly  light-tight  and  practically 
water-tight.  As  soon  as  the  nights  are  cold  enough 
to  freeze,  the  surface  is  plastered  over  with  several 
inches  of  mud  which  is  usually  gathered  from  the 
pond  or  river  bottom.  This  fact,  has,  I  know 
been  questioned  even  by  such  authorities  as 
Thompson  Seton,  who  in  his  excellent  book*  says : 
"  It  (the  beaver)  never  plasters  the  lodge  with  mud 
outside.  All  lodges  are  finished  outside  with 
sticks."  This  is  more  or  less  true  during  the 
earlier  part  of  the  season,  but  in  most  cases  which 
have  come  under  my  observation  the  houses  were 
thickly  plastered  over  immediately  before  the 
actual  coming  of  winter,  f  The  mud,  of  course, 
freezes  into  a  solid  and  intensely  hard  protective 
coating — so  hard  that  even  the  wolves  cannot  tear 
a  way  through ;  but  it  breaks  away  early  in  the 

*  "  Life  Histories  of  Northern  Animals." 

f  Enos  A.  Mills,  "  In  Beaver  World,"  states  that,  "  In  Montana 
of  twenty-seven  beaver  houses  which  I  examined  twenty-one 
received  mud  covering."  In  Morgan's  "  The  American  Beaver  " 
there  is  the  following  convincing  statement :  "  Late  in  the  fall, 
each  season,  the  sides  of  their  lodges,  nearly  to  the  summit,  are 
in  some  cases  plastered  over  with  mud,  which  soon  freezing, 
materially  increases  their  strength."  And  James  Hearne  (in 
(1769 — 1772)  states  that:  "It  is  a  great  part  of  the  policy  of 
these  animals  to  cover,  to  plaster,  as  it  is  usually  called,  the  out- 
side of  their  houses  every  fall  with  fresh  mud,  and  as  late  as 
possible  in  the  autumn,  even  when  the  frost  becomes  pretty 
severe." 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    17 

spring  when  softened  by  the  thaw,  and  the  heavy 
rains  wash  it  off,  leaving  the  outside  an  untidy 
mound  of  sticks  and  poles.  In  evidence  of  this  I 
have  made  photographs  both  in  Newfoundland  and 
Canada.  Some  of  the  houses  found  in  the  former 
country  were  made  almost  entirely  of  mud,  sod, 
and  grass,  with  only  a  few  sticks  used  in  the  centre, 
probably  with  the  idea  of  leaving  the  almost 
inevitable  ventilation  flue.  The  form  of  the  lodges 
varies  greatly  and  it  is  impossible  to  lay  down  any 
hard  and  fast  rules.  Several  times  I  have  found 
houses  built  surrounding  a  tree,  either  living  or 
dead.  In  such  cases  the  ventilation  is  afforded  by 
the  tree,  as  the  earth  and  sticks  do  not  adhere  very 
closely  to  the  rough  bark.  The  very  idea  of  making 
provisions  for  ventilation  is  one  of  the  many 
exhibitions  of  the  clever  animals'  thoughtfulness. 
The  existence  of  these  ventilation  flues  has  some- 
times been  questioned,  but  it  has  been  more  or  less 
clearly  shown  in  all  of  the  many  scores  of  lodges 
which  I  have  examined.  It  is  even  more  notice- 
able in  the  winter,  when  the  lodge  appears  as  a 
mound  of  snow,  a  mound  like  many  other  irregu- 
larities in  the  landscape  except  that  the  snow  is 
usually  melted  or  partly  melted  at  the  highest  point, 
and  on  very  cold  days  a  thin  misty  vapour  may  be 
seen  rising  from  the  place  where  the  flue  would 
naturally  be  situated.  This  tell-tale  sign  is  a 
frequent  cause  of  disaster  for  the  beaver,  as  it 
reveals  the  presence  of  the  lodge  to  the  keen-eyed 
R.B.  c 


18        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

trapper,  who  naturally  does  not  hesitate  to  take  the 
fullest  advantage  of  the  information. 

Mr.  Enos  Mills  in  his  delightful  book,  "  In 
Beaver  World,"  which  deals  more  particularly  with 
the  Western  States,  fully  corroborates  the  fact  of 
the  existence  of  the  ventilating  flue.  He  says, 
"  But  little  earthy  matter  is  used  in  the  tip-top  of 
the  house  where  the  minute  disjointed  airholes 
between  the  interlaced  poles  give  the  room  scanty 
ventilation."  We  are  of  course  faced  with  the 
question,  does  the  beaver  do  this  intentionally  with 
the  realization  of  what  it  means  ?  Why  not  ? 
What  reasonable  excuse  can  we  have  for  doubting 
his  understanding  of  what  he  is  doing.  But  we 
must  leave  this  till  later  when  the  subject  of  the 
intelligence  or  instinct  of  the  beaver  will  be  treated 
more  thoroughly.  At  present,  the  lodge  is  occupy- 
ing our  attention.  Much  has  been  written  about 
these  examples  of  primitive  architecture  and 
ridiculous  statements  have  frequently  been  made. 
Pictures  have  appeared  (as  recently  as  towards  the 
end  of  the  eighteenth  century)  which  show  the 
houses  with  two  stories,  and  with  windows  and 
doors  cut  square.  It  will  not  need  much  intelli- 
gence to  see  the  absurdity  of  these  "  facts."  First 
of  all,  such  openings  would  leave  the  inmates 
entirely  at  the  mercy  of  any  passing  enemy,  and 
secondly,  animals  avoid  rectangular  forms.  So 
the  square  apertures  would  be  practical  impossi- 
bilities. 


A  lodge  which  withstood  several  weeks'  submergence  during  a  flood.  In 
spite  of  the  swift  current  very  little  damage  was  done,  though,  of 
course,  the  beaver  had  to  abandon  it  for  the  time. 


An  unusually  large  lodge  (in  Newfoundland)  ;  it  measured  37  feet  in 
largest  external  diameter,  and  was  7  feet  high. 


Beaver  lodge  in  a  swamp  concealed  among  tamarack  and  firs. 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    19 

One  of  the  earliest  sane  descriptions  which  1  have 
been  able  to  find  of  a  beaver's  house  appears  in  the 
Relations  of  the  Jesuits  in  Canada.  Father 
Joseph  Jouvency,  S.J.,  writes  (between  the  years 
1610  and  1613) :  "  They  locate  them  (the  houses) 
on  the  banks  of  lakes  and  rivers  ;  they  build  walls 
of  logs,  placing  between  them  wet  and  sticky  sods 
in  the  place  of  mortar,  so  that  the  work  can,  even 
with  great  violence,  scarcely  be  torn  apart  and 
destroyed.  The  entire  house  is  divided  into  several 
stories.*  (Levels  would  probably  be  a  better  word) ; 
the  lowest  is  composed  of  thicker  crossbeams,  with 
branches  strewn  upon  them,  and  provided  with  a 
hole  or  small  door  through  which  they  can  pass 
into  the  river  whenever  they  wish  ;  this  story 
extends  somewhat  above  the  water  of  the  river, 
while  the  others  rise  higher,  into  which  they  retire 
if  the  swelling  stream  submerges  the  lowest  floor. 
They  sleep  in  one  of  the  upper  stories  ;  a  soft  bed 
is  furnished  by  dry  sea-weed,f  and  the  moss  with 
which  they  protect  themselves  from  the  cold  ;  on 
another  floor  they  have  their  store-room  and  food 
provided  for  winter.  The  building  is  covered  with 
a  dome-shaped  roof.  Thus  they  pass  the  winter, 
for  in  summer  they  enjoy  the  shady  coolness  upon 
the  shores  or  escape  the  summer  heat  by  plunging 

*  This  translation  may  be  questioned ;  following  is  the  original 
version  :  "  Tota  casae  fabrica  variis  contignationibus  distinguitur." 

f  Alga  siccior  is  the  name  given,  so  the  translation  is  open  to 
question. 

c2 


20       ROMANCE  OF   THE   BEAVER 

into  the  water.  Often  a  great  colony  of  many 
members  is  lodged  in  one  house.  But,  if  they  be 
incommoded  by  the  narrowness  of  the  place,  the 
younger  ones  depart  of  their  own  accord  and  con- 
struct houses  for  themselves."  Allowing  for  slight 
inaccuracies  due  to  translation,  this  is  a  remarkably 
accurate  description  and  shows  what  careful 
observers  were  those  sturdy,  self-sacrificing  priests 
who  did  so  much  for  Canada  in  her  early  develop- 
ment. It  is  all  the  more  extraordinary  when  we 
consider  how  natural  history  subjects  were  treated 
in  those  days. 

The  inside  of  a  beaver's  lodge  is  simplicity 
itself.  There  is  only  one  chamber,  unless  possibly 
two  lodges  being  built  adjoining  one  another  may 
have  the  rooms  connecting.  However,  this  is  a 
condition  I  have  never  seen.  The  size  varies, 
according  to  conditions,  some  being  as  much  as 
twelve  feet  or  more  in  diameter,*  but  an  ordinary 
house  built  to  accommodate  a  family  of  six  would 
have  a  room  about  four  or  five  feet  long  and 
rather  less  in  width,  with  the  ceiling  at  the  highest 
point  a  little  over  two  feet.  The  ceiling  is  fairly 
smooth,  all  projecting  sticks  and  roots  being  care- 
fully cut  off.  There  is,  indeed,  every  evidence  to 
show  that  the  interior  is  really  made  and  finished 
after  the  wall  or  the  mound  has  been  more  or 
less  completed.  The  fact  that  the  sticks  are  so 

*  Mills  gives  the  size  of  the  chambers  as  being  "  from  three  to 
twenty  feet  across." 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   21 

thoroughly  interlaced  accounts  for  the  strength  oi 
the  whole  structure,  which  is  arched  over  with 
a  perfect  network,  so  that  when  in  perfect  condi- 
tion it  will  bear  the  combined  weight  of  as  many 
men  as  could  find  foothold  on  it.  Even  an  old 
lodge  may  be  torn  apart  so  that  only  a  thin  shell 
of  the  woodwork  remains,  and  yet  it  will  readily 
bear  the  weight  of  a  man.  In  very  exceptional 
cases  the  domed  roof  will  have  a  central  support 
built  up  from  the  floor,  and  it  is  this  support 
which  has  probably  given  rise  to  the  stories  of 
many-roomed  lodges,  for  the  support  is  not  neces- 
sarily a  smooth  circular  column  of  mud  and  sticks, 
but  may  be  an  irregular  mass  which,  being  added 
to  from  time  to  time,  eventually  becomes  a  sort  of 
wall  or  even  a  complete  partition  with  one  or  more 
openings  to  allow  of  communication. 

In  confirmation  of  this  explanation,  there  is  the 
following  description  by  Samuel  Hearne  written 
between  the  years  1769  and  1772:  "Those  who 
have  undertaken  to  describe  the  inside  of  beaver 
houses,  as  having  several  apartments  appropriated 
to  various  uses,  such  as  eating,  sleeping,  store- 
houses for  provisions,  and  one  for  their  natural 
occasions,  etc.,  must  have  been  very  little  acquainted 
with  the  subject."  .  .  .  "Many  years  constant 
residence  among  the  Indians,  during  which  1  had 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  several  hundreds  of  these 
houses,  has  enabled  me  to  affirm  that  everything 
of  the  kind  is  entirely  void  of  truth."  ...  "It 


22        ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

frequently  happens,  that  some  of  the  large  houses 
are  found  to  have  one  or  more  partitions,  if  they 
deserve  that  appellation  ;  but  that  is  no  more  than 
a  part  of  the  main  building,  left  by  the  sagacity  of 
the  beaver  to  support  the  roof.  On  such  occasions, 
it  is  common  for  those  different  apartments,  as 
some  are  pleased  to  call  them,  to  have  no  com- 
munication with  each  other  but  by  water ;  so  that 
in  fact  they  may  be  called  double  or  treble  houses, 
rather  than  different  apartments  of  the  same  house. 
I  have  seen  a  large  beaver  house  built  in  a  small 
island,  that  had  near  a  dozen  apartments  under  one 
roof;  and,  two  or  three  of  these  only  excepted, 
none  of  them  had  any  communication  with  each 
other  but  by  water.  As  there  were  beaver  enough 
to  inhabit  each  apartment  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  each  family  knew  its  own,  and  always  entered 
at  their  own  door." 

He  goes  on  to  say  that  his  Indians  took  thirty- 
seven  beavers  out  of  this  house,  while  many  others 
escaped.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether  houses  of 
this  type  exist  at  the  present  day,  nor  indeed  for 
many  years  past. 

The  ground  floor  or  lowest  level  is  only  three  or 
four  inches  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  This 
is  used  as  the  "  dining-room  "  and  for  drying  their 
coats.  About  half  of  the  space  is  thus  occupied, 
the  other  half  is  raised  six  or  eight  inches,  and  is 
the  sleeping  apartment.  It  is  well  covered  with 
bedding  made  of  dry  grass,  which  is  cut  while 


24        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

growing,  or  with  shredded  wood,  the  latter  being 
more  frequently  employed.  In  cutting  this  bed- 
ding, the  beaver  tears  the  wood  into  long  strips  as 
shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration.  Whether 
or  not  moss  is  used,  I  cannot  tell,  but  in  the  more 
eastern  portion  of  the  beavers'  range,  I  have  never 
seen  any  in  the  lodges,  nor  have  I  seen  the 
slightest  evidence  of  its  being  gathered  from  the 
ground  or  trees.  However,  Mills  say  that  "A 
few  beds  are  made  of  grass,  leaves,  or  moss  from 
the  ground  or  trees." 

Occasionally,  houses  of  immense  size  are  found, 
the  largest  I  have  actually  measured  was  in 
Newfoundland,  on  the  banks  of  Sandy  River.  It 
was  thirty-seven  feet  in  its  greatest  diameter  and 
seven  feet  in  outside  height.  For  about  six  years 
it  had  been  the  home  of  a  colony  of  beavers, 
nine  members  or  perhaps  more  having  occupied  it 
at  one  time.  Lodges  of  this  size  are  extremely 
rare,  and  I  can  find  no  record  of  any  that  were  as 
large.  What  size  the  chamber  was  can  only  be 
conjectured,  as  I  did  not  feel  justified  in  breaking 
into  the  structure,  much  as  1  wished  to  see  the 
interior.  In  the  floor  of  the  lodges  are  the  entrances, 
there  being  usually  two,  but  sometimes  three  or 
even  more,  their  common  size  varying  from  ten  to 
about  twenty-five  inches  in  diameter.  The  idea 
of  having  more  than  one  is  probably  to  allow  of 
escape  in  case  of  some  enemy  finding  its  way  in 
through  one  of  the  burrows.  It  also  permits  of 


*   4 


A  typical  muskrat's  house  (Long  Island,  N.Y.),  which  closely  resembles 
a  very  roughly  made  beaver's  lodge,  except  that  reeds  instead  of  logs 
are  used. 


Poplar  tree  cut  down  by  beaver. 


An  interesting  and  somewhat  unusual  type  of  lodge  on  the  edge  of  a  pond 
some  distance  away  from  any  trees.  The  lodge  is  built  of  mud  and 
roots  taken  from  the  bottom  of  the  pond,  and  the  animals  would 
probably  depend  on  the  roots  of  water  lily  and  spatter  dock  for  their 
winter  food  (Newfoundland). 


Shows  an  island  lodge  in  a  pond  made  by  the  beaver. 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   25 

different  members  coming  in  and  going  out  at  the 
same  time,  as  the  tunnels  are  scarcely  large  enough 
for  the  animals  to  pass  each  other.  Where  these 
tunnels  enter  the  pond,  they  are  more  or  less 
arched  over  with  a  network  of  sticks,  evidently  put 
there  to  prevent  the  burrow  falling  in.  In  some 
instances  there  is  quite  a  long  passage-way  cut 
through  a  compressed,  tangled  mass  of  brush, 
which  was  probably  originally  the  remains  of  a 
winter  food  pile.  In  planning  these  entrances  to 
the  lodge,  it  is  clearly  shown  that  the  beaver  know 
what  they  are  about  and  make  provision  for  their 
needs  with  great  thoroughness.  No  sharp  bends 
are  made,  for  that  would  make  it  difficult  if  not 
impossible,  to  carry  in  the  sticks  which  they  take 
into  the  house  to  feed  on.  After  all  the  bark  is 
eaten  the  bare  stick  is  taken  out  to  be  used  in  the 
future  for  building  and  repairing  lodges  and  dams. 
Some  very  small  twigs  when  peeled  are  worked 
into  the  earth  for  flooring  in  order  to  allow  for  the 
wear  and  tear,  and  keep  the  floor  as  dry  as 
possible. 

Cleanliness  is  of  course  essential  where  so  many 
animals  are  confined  in  such  restricted  quarters. 
The  beaver  are  model  housekeepers  and  they  allow 
no  dirt  or  rubbish  to  accumulate.  Everything  is 
neat  and  tidy,  whether  the  number  of  inmates  is 
small  or  large.  How  they  manage  to  keep  it  as 
dry  as  they  do  is  a  marvel  when  one  considers 
that  each  time  a  beaver  goes  into  the  lodge  he 


26        ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

must  be  wet,  as  his  only  entrance  is  through  the 
water.  It  is  obvious  therefore  that  on  emerging 
from  the  water  they  must  dry  themselves  off  very 
thoroughly  before  going  near  their  beds  or  nests. 
The  fact  of  their  making  these  beds  on  a  higher  level 
shows  that  they  use  their  intelligence  and  under- 
stand that  water  does  not  run  uphill.  If  the 
bedding  should  get  wet  frequently  it  would  be  but 
a  short  time  before  it  decayed,  especially  as  there 
is  not  a  superabundance  of  air  in  the  houses.  For- 
tunately the  beaver  has  low  respiration  and  conse- 
sequently  needs  very  little  ventilation  in  his  home. 
On  this  account  he  can  keep  warm,  and  even 
during  the  cold  winter  weather,  when  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  outside  air  is  perhaps  thirty  or  forty 
degrees  below  zero,  the  animal  heat  generated  by 
the  beaver  is  sufficient  to  keep  the  house  com- 
fortable. This  warmth  and  the  lack  of  light  and 
air  has  the  disadvantage  of  causing  troublesome 
parasites  to  thrive,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the 
thickly-furred  animals,  and  probably  accounts  for 
their  so  frequently  using  shredded  wood  for  bedding. 
Softer  material  could  be  found,  but  it  is  doubtful 
whether  it  would  be  sanitary. 

The  size  of  the  material  used  on  the  outside  of 
the  lodges  is  most  variable.  As  already  stated,  in 
some  instances  no  sticks  of  appreciable  size  are  to 
be  found  on  the  lodges.  Then,  again,  regular  logs 
or  heavy  poles  are  seen  on  the  lodges.  But  logs 
or  poles  (whichever  you  like  to  call  them,  and  it  is 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   27 

hard  to  say  where  one  begins  and  the  other  ends) 
of  eighteen  feet  in  length  and  about  six  inches  in 
diameter  at  the  larger  end  are  frequently  used,  and 
shorter  pieces  of  from  one  foot  in  length  upwards 
and  having  a  diameter  of  eight  or  nine  inches  are 
not  uncommon.  Just  what  purpose  these  short 
and  very  heavy  pieces  serve  is  difficult  to  say. 
They  certainly  add  weight,  but  is  that  much 
advantage?  They  cannot  be  said  to  add  to  the 
structural  strength,  but  perhaps  when  the  mud 
freezes  and  they  become  very  firmly  locked  in  they 
offer  an  insurmountable  obstruction  to  any  animal 
that  may  attempt  the  difficult  task  of  digging  into 
the  lodge. 

As  a  rule  the  bulk  of  the  material  employed  con- 
sists of  long  sticks  of  one  to  three  inches  in  diameter 
at  the  larger  end  and  a  great  deal  of  short  stuff  of 
variable  size  which  forms  an  irregular  network. 
Fibrous  roots  add  greatly  to  the  strength  of  the 
work  by  binding  together  all  the  loose  material 
so  solidly  that  it  is  a  task  of  the  utmost  difficulty 
for  a  man  to  pull  it  apart  unless  he  is  armed  with 
a  pick-axe  or  crowbar.  A  well-built  lodge  will 
even  withstand  the  destructive  power  of  running 
water.  In  Newfoundland  I  noticed  one  house 
while  it  was  being  built  and  remarked  on  the 
thoroughness  of  the  work.  During  the  following 
spring  the  heavy  rains  and  melting  ice  and  snow 
caused  a  flood,  which  raised  the  river  about  eight 
or  ten  feet  above  the  normal  level.  Needless  to 


28       ROMANCE   OF  THE  BEAVER 

say  the  house,  whose  base  was  only  a  foot  or  so 
above  the  ordinary  water-line,  was  entirely  sub- 
merged, but  though  the  current  was  swift  and  con- 
tinued for  several  weeks  with  this  unusual  depth  of 
water,  the  structure  of  the  house  remained  almost 
intact,  only  the  loose  earth  and  sod  being  washed 
away.  Of  course  the  beaver  had  to  abandon  their 
home,  and  they  sought  temporary  shelter  in  a  high 
bank  beneath  the  roots  of  some  fir  trees.  Acci- 
dents such  as  these  are  of  frequent  occurrence 
when  the  lodges  are  built  on  the  banks  of  rivers, 
as  the  beaver  have  no  control  over  the  depth  of 
water,  and  such  lessons  have  taught  the  intelligent 
animals  the  advantage  of  making  dams  which 
maintain  a  more  or  less  constant  water  level. 
They  learn  by  sad  experience  and  when  they  dis- 
regard such  lessons  they  have  usually  to  pay  heavily 
for  their  mistakes. 

The  river -bank  lodges  or  highly -developed 
burrows  are  frequently  subject  to  disaster 
through  rising  water,  and  may  be  regarded  as 
the  work  of  beavers  whose  intelligence  is  some- 
what below  normal.  It  is  well  worth  observing 
that  these  bank  lodges  or  burrows  are  most  often 
the  homes  of  solitary  beaver,  those  who,  perhaps, 
through  their  lower  development  have  been  turned 
out  of  the  colonies  to  shift  for  themselves.  It  is 
possible,  of  course,  that  they  are  only  afflicted 
with  the  curse  of  laziness,  but  this  is  doubtful,  as 
it  is  a  somewhat  rare  fault  in  wild  animals.  We 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   29 

have  yet  much  to  learn  about  beaver,  and  many 
of  our  ideas  as  to  the  why  and  wherefore  of  what 
they  do  are  based  on  surmise,  which  is  the  result 
of  our  very  insignificant  knowledge. 

The  situations  chosen  for  the  lodges  vary  entirely 
with  conditions.  In  some  parts  of  the  country 
the  beaver  appear  to  realise  the  advantage  of 
placing  their  lodges  on  the  north  or  north-western 
side  of  lakes  and  streams.  By  doing  this  they  gain 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  which  melts  the  ice  away  from 
both  bank  and  lodge  and  so  liberates  the  animals 
at  the  earliest  possible  date.  This  I  have  observed 
particularly  in  Newfoundland,  where  most  of  the 
lodges  seen  during  a  period  of  several  years  were 
thus  situated  with  apparently  no  other  object  in 
view. 

Concealment  seems  very  frequently  to  be  care- 
fully considered,  in  which  cases  the  lodge  is  hidden 
in  dense  alder  thickets  or  among  closely-growing 
tamarack  or  spruce.  So  effectual  is  the  conceal- 
ment afforded  by  the  scrubby  growth  that,  were 
it  not  for  the  dams  or  the  peeled  wood  which  is 
found  floating  near  the  shore,  their  existence 
would  be  unknown  even  by  those  whose  eyes  are 
trained  to  see  clearly.  As  an  instance  of  this,  I 
remember  going  to  see  a  place  where  for  months 
some  beaver  had  with  untiring  persistence  built 
a  dam  in  a  railway  culvert.  Once  or  twice  each 
week  during  their  activities  the  section  men  visited 
the  culvert  and  pulled  out  all  the  accumulation  of 


30        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

brush  and  sod  which  obstructed  the  waterway. 
Where  the  lodge  was  they  could  not  tell,  though 
they  had  gone  all  through  the  alder  swamps  in 
search  of  it,  and  they  declared  that  there  was  no 
lodge.  This  seemed  unlikely,  as  the  nature  of  the 
land  precluded  any  possibility  of  a  bank  burrow. 
After  a  careful  examination  of  the  vicinity  I  found 
it  actually  on  the  railway  embankment  not  ten 
feet  from  where  trains  were  passing  every  day, 
but  it  was  so  cunningly  hidden  in  a  small,  thick 
clump  of  alders  that  it  was  almost  indistinguishable, 
even  though  it  was  fully  eight  feet  in  diameter. 
In  complete  contrast  to  this  one  finds  the  lodges 
on  the  bleakest  barrens,  away  from  any  trees  or 
shrubs,  conspicuous  black  (being  made  of  pond 
muck)  mounds  which  are  visible  for  a  mile  or  more. 
When  entirely  protected  by  water  there  is  seldom 
much  attempt  at  concealment,  and  one  of  the 
most  common  types  is  the  lodge  built  on  an  island, 
artificial  or  natural,  in  the  middle  of  a  lake  or  small 
pond.  So  also  is  the  lodge  often  seen  on  a  bare 
point  of  land  extending  into  the  lake.  As  this 
does  not  have  the  protection  of  the  water  it  makes 
us  wonder  whether  or  not  the  animals  place  any 
importance  on  concealment,  or  whether  it  is  simply 
a  matter  of  individual  ideas. 

We  do  not  realise  sufficiently  how  strong  individu- 
ality is  in  animals  when  we  attempt  to  generalise 
or  lay  down  hard  and  fast  rules  to  govern  their 
actions.  It  would  be  far  easier  for  us  to  under- 


II 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   31 

stand  and  account  for  what  they  do  if  we  would 
only  start  out  with  the  idea  that  both  animals  and 
birds,  though  governed  by  certain  very  definite  laws, 
have  the  use  of  a  limited  free  intelligence,  which 
enables  them  to  take  advantage  of  conditions  and 
accomplish  things  which  are  apparently  not  in 
keeping  with  what  might  be  done  by  others  of  the 
same  species.  It  is  this  individuality  which  helps 
animals  to  adjust  themselves  to  new  conditions, 
whereas  if  they  adhered  too  strictly  to  the  rules 
which  have  governed  them  in  the  past  they  would, 
through  the  lack  of  power  of  free  thought,  fall  easy 
victims  to  new  and  adverse  conditions. 

Having  now  seen  what  the  beaver's  lodge  is  like, 
we  may  take  into  consideration  the  dam  which  is 
the  direct  adjunct  to  the  house  or  rather  to  the 
more  advanced  type  of  house.  Just  when  or  how 
dams  first  began  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  say,  but 
the  chances  are  they  are  the  result  of  a  very  gradual 
development  through  perhaps  thousands  of  years. 
So  far  as  1  can  learn  the  beaver  of  the  old  world 
did  little  or  no  important  dam  building,  but  his 
close  cousin  on  the  American  continent  has  without 
doubt  been  building  them  for  a  very  long  time 
and  with  some  very  extraordinary  results.  (These 
will  be  dealt  with  in  another  chapter.) 

As  already  stated  the  primary  objects  of  the 
dams  appear  to  be  four-fold,  the  most  important 
being  apparently  that  water  may  be  maintained 
at  a  constant  level  in  order  that  the  house  shall 


32       ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

be  safe  from  attack.  Whether  or  not  we  are 
correct  in  our  surmise,  we  know  that  the  dams 
are  built  and  that  they  represent  by  far  the  most 
conspicuous  work  accomplished  by  any  living 
animal.  As  feats  of  engineering  skill  they  must 
command  our  highest  respect,  as  examples  of 
industry  they  are  difficult  to  excel,  and  as  an 
exhibition  of  intelligence  they  are  only  equalled 
or  perhaps  surpassed  by  the  extraordinary,  though 
less  conspicuous,  canals  which  are  planned  and 
constructed  by  the  same  animals. 

There  have  been  many  fabulous  accounts  of 
beaver  dams,  in  the  most  ridiculous  of  which  the 
animal  has  been  accredited  with  "  driving  stakes 
as  thick  as  a  man's  leg  into  the  ground  three  or 
four  feet  deep "  and  with  making  regular  hurdles 
on  the  dams.  In  fact  there  has  been  no  limit  to 
the  fanciful  stories  on  the  subject.  Even  the 
generally  accurate  accounts  of  Father  Joseph 
Jouvency,  S.J.  (1610 — 13),  from  whom  I  have 
already  quoted,  bear  evidence  of  slight  exaggeration. 
He  says,  in  describing  the  dams  :  "  If  they  find 
any  river  suitable  for  their  purposes,  except  in 
having  sufficient  depth,  they  build  a  dam  to  keep 
back  the  water  until  it  rises  to  the  required  height. 
And  first  by  gnawing  them,  they  fell  trees  of  large 
size ;  then  lay  them  across  from  one  shore  to  the 
other.  They  construct  a  double  barrier  and 
rampart  *  of  logs  obliquely  placed,  having  between 

*  Translation  of  Duplicem  versum  et  ordimm  arborum  faciunt. 


R.B. 


34        ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

them  a  space  of  about  six  feet,  which  they  so 
ingeniously  fill  in  with  stones,  clay,  and  branches 
that  one  would  expect  nothing  better  from  the 
most  skilful  architect.  The  length  of  the  structure 
is  greater  or  less,  according  to  the  size  of  the  stream 
which  they  wish  to  restrain.  Dams  of  this  kind 
a  fifth  of  a  mile  long  are  sometimes  found."  This 
is  a  strange  mixture  of  truth  and  error  which  is 
difficult  to  account  for.  The  double  barrier  and 
rampart  filled  in  with  stones  and  clay  and  branches 
is  very  far  from  the  actual  construction.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  building  of  an  ordinary  dam 
consists  originally  of  a  number  of  sticks  and  brush 
being  laid  (no  stakes  are  driven)  in  the  water  with 
the  butts  up-stream.  When  slightly  weighted 
with  sod,  stones,  and  water-soaked  billets  of  wood 
they  become  anchored,  each  projecting  twig  acting 
as  a  brace  against  the  bottom.  Little  by  little 
more  material  of  the  same  description  is  added 
until  from  shore  to  shore  there  is  an  unbroken 
line  which  at  first  only  slightly  retards  the  flow 
of  the  stream.  Then  sod  and  muck,  with  roots 
and  grass,  are  laid  against  the  upper  side  or  face. 
By  the  force  of  water  all  this  material  is  worked 
in  among  the  net  work  of  sticks,  the  beavers  assisting 
the  water  by  pushing  clots  of  fibrous  muck,  usually 
gathered  from  the  bottom  of  the  pond,  into  the 
openings  until  gradually  the  face  of  the  dams 
assumes  a  smooth  appearance  levelled  to  an  angle 
of  about  forty-five  degrees.  If  the  work  is  properly 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA  35 

done,  and  beavers  vary  in  the  quality  of  their  work 
just  as  men  do,  the  structure  is  finally  practically 
watertight.  Yet  the  word  finally  is  scarcely  the 
right  word  to  apply  to  a  dam,  for  so  long  as  the 
beaver  have  any  need  of  it  they  continue  adding 
to  both  its  height  and  length.  What  begins  by 
being  a  perfectly  complete  dam,  perhaps  twenty 
feet  long  and  a  foot  or  two  in  height,  ends  with 
a  length  of  many  hundreds  of  feet  and  a  height 
of  six  or  seven  feet  or  even  more.  Besides  the 
above-mentioned  materials  stones  are  frequently 
employed  in  the  construction  of  dams.  In  fact  it 
is  rare  to  find  any  that  have  not  at  least  a  few 
stones  worked  in  with  the  sod,  particularly 
towards  the  ends.  When  so  few  are  used  it  is 
hard  to  say  what  purpose  they  serve.  But 
there  are  instances  of  dams  being  built  in 
which  stones  form  the  larger  part  of  the 
material.  These  are  not  common  and  I  have 
never  seen  but  one  example.  Unfortunately  the 
photograph  shows  only  those  stones  which  are  above 
water,  where  there  is  a  fair  proportion  of  other 
material,  but  below  the  surface  there  was  little 
else  than  stones  of  small  size,  none  weighing  more 
than  three  or  four  pounds.  Very  much  larger 
ones  are  frequently  used  ;  in  fact,  I  have  been 
told  by  trappers  of  some  that  weighed  about  thirty 
or  forty  pounds  and  even  more,  and  Mills  speaks 
of  stones  weighing  upwards  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds  being  moved  into  position  on  the 

D  2 


36       ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

dams  by  the  united  efforts  of  many  beavers. 
Never  having  seen  any  heavier  than  nine  pounds, 
I  cannot  guarantee  the  correctness  of  the  trappers' 
statement,  but  Mills  is  a  careful  and  very  accurate 
observer  and  thoroughly  reliable.  Generally  speak- 
ing, it  is  not  wise  to  be  too  incredulous,  and  any 
information,  to  have  value,  should  be  the  result  of 
very  careful,  personal  observation.  Otherwise  the 
source  of  the  information  should  be  given.  Many 
of  the  trappers  are  blessed  with  a  keen  and  rather 
subtle  sense  of  humour,  and  few  things  give  them 
greater  pleasure  than  filling  up  the  stranger  with 
yarns,  and  they  derive  a  real  joy  if  they  ever 
happen  to  see  these  same  yarns  in  print,  especially 
if  the  "facts"  are  given  as  though  they  were 
entirely  original  with  the  writer.  On  more  than 
one  occasion  has  a  trapper  told  me  of  how  he  had 
tricked  the  tenderfoot  into  believing  most  fabulous 
stories  of  the  ways  of  wild  animals.  Some  of 
course  tell  of  strange  happenings,  not  with  the  idea 
of  having  fun,  but  they  enlarge  on  already  much 
enlarged  stories  that  have  been  retailed  to  them. 
Few  stories  shrink  in  the  telling,  while  most  grow 
with  alarming  vigour,  and  if  we  would  believe  all 
that  is  told  of  beavers  our  minds  would  be  filled 
with  most  marvellous  "  facts "  more  wonderful, 
even  though  less  reasonable,  than  what  is  accom- 
plished by  these  interesting  animals. 

In  practically  everything  that  is  done  by  them 
we  can,  if  we  use  a  little  care,  discover  the  object, 


Dam  built  almost  entirely  of  small  stones,  weight  of  which  seldom 
exceeded  4  Ibs. 


Where  the  beaver  have  cut  grass  for  bedding  (Newfoundland). 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA  37 

and  though  at  first  glance  we  might  sometimes  be 
led  to  imagine  that  improvement  could  be  made  in 
the  method,  if  we  go  far  enough  into  the  question 
and  thoroughly  appreciate  the  animal's  point  of 
view,  his  needs  and  the  natural  restrictions  of  his 
ability,  we  are  nearly  always  forced  to  acknowledge 
the  success  of  his  methods.  Certainly  in  the 
building  of  the  dams,  improvement  both  in  the 
choice  of  site  and  the  actual  execution  of  the  work 
is  most  difficult  to  suggest.  Indeed  it  is  very 
doubtful  whether  the  average  man  could,  without 
tools,  or  even  with  the  help  of  an  axe,  overcome 
the  obstacles  which  are  encountered  by  the  beaver. 
Most  writers  in  dealing  with  the  subject  are 
inclined  to  pay  too  much  importance  to  the  curve 
of  a  dam.  Some  assume  that  all  dams  are  built 
with  the  curve  against  the  current,  others  that  such 
is  the  case  only  when  the  flow  of  water  is  swift, 
while  some  claim  that  the  curve  is  most  often  down 
stream.  I  have  seen  a  great  many  dams  built  in 
many  different  situations  and  under  very  different 
conditions,  and  the  conclusion  which  has  been 
forced  on  me  is  that  there  is  no  rule  to  govern  the 
curve.  It  just  happens.  I  have  seen  quite  large 
dams,  two  or  three  hundred  feet  long,  which  were 
almost  straight,  others  had  a  decided  curve  up 
stream.  Others  again,  under  apparently  similar 
conditions,  were  curved  with  the  current,  while  on 
more  than  one  occasion  the  dam  has  been  like  a 
drawn-out  letter  S,  that  is  to  say  with  half  of  it 


38       ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVEK 

curving  up  and  the  other  half  down  stream.  On 
the  whole,  I  think  the  subsidiary  or  supporting 
dams  are  more  likely  to  be  straight  or  have  the 
curve  away  from  the  main  structure.  These 
subsidiaries  are  of  very  great  interest,  as  they  offer 
a  clear  example  of  the  beaver's  forethought,  that  is, 
if  we  are  right  in  our  conclusions,  for  we  believe 
that  they  are  placed  below  the  most  important  dam 
in  order  to  support  it,  by  backing  the  water  against 
its  base,  and  also  for  the  protection  it  gives  when 
the  pond  is  frozen,  for  then  the  mass  of  ice  which 
forms  in  the  usually  quiet  water  acts  as  a  powerful 
support  to  the  principal  structure,  which  has  to 
resist  a  terrific  pressure  of  ice,  snow  and  water, 
especially  at  the  time  when  winter  is  breaking  up. 
But  there  are  probably  other  reasons  for  the  existence 
of  these  extra  structures.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
frequently  there  are  a  number  of  them — sometimes 
as  many  as  eight  or  more  at  distances  apart  which 
may  vary  from  a  few  feet  up  to  several  hundred. 
Some  are  of  quite  imposing  size,  while  others  may 
be  only  insignificant  affairs  a  foot  or  two  long  and 
very  roughly  built.  Between  each  dam,  there  is 
usually  water  of  sufficient  depth  to  allow  the 
beaver  to  hide  and  so  escape  his  enemies.  Then 
again  there  is  another  important  reason  for  these 
lesser  dams.  No  matter  how  well  the  main 
structure  is  built,  how  carefully  it  is  designed,  an 
unusually  heavy  volume  of  water  may  cause  it  to 
break.  The  result  of  such  a  calamity  would  be 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   39 

that  the  pond  would  be  lowered  and  the  entrances 
to  the  lodges  exposed,  perhaps  even  the  beaver 
would  be  left  without  any  place  of  retreat.  The 
subsidiary  dams  would  greatly  lessen  the  dangers 
as  they  would  retain  the  water  to  a  greater  or  lesser 
depth  according  to  the  conditions.  There  would 
be  still  another  advantage  in  holding  back  the 
water,  as  it  would  make  the  repair  work  or 
rebuilding  of  the  main  dam  a  matter  of  much  less 
difficulty  owing  to  the  decreased  force  of  the 
current.  Taking  all  things  into  consideration,  we 
can  see  how  important  are  these  secondary  or 
supporting  dams  and  how  greatly  they  reflect 
credit  on  the  animal's  power  of  reasoning  and 
application  of  this  power.  For  by  doing  what 
apparently  is  a  vast  amount  of  extra  and,  at  first 
glance,  almost  unnecessary  work,  the  beaver  is 
taking  steps  to  prevent  a  possible  catastrophe. 
Surely  he  must  reason  this  out,  for  otherwise  how 
would  he  know  that  great  rains  do  come,  and  even 
the  greatest  dams  do  burst.  Does  he  learn  it  by 
seeing  some  of  the  very  small  structures  give  way 
under  pressure  slightly  more  than  normal  ?  But 
who  shall  answer  these  questions  ? 

In  building  the  smaller  dams,  the  method  of 
construction  differs  in  no  way  from  that  already 
described  ;  only  in  point  of  size  are  they  different. 
As  a  rule  they  are  not  large,  seldom  more  than 
about  thirty  feet  in  length.  Exceptions  there  are 
to  this,  but  speaking  generally,  they  are  below  this 


40       ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

length,  while  the  height  is  in  accordance  with  the 
demands  of  the  stream.  The  more  rapid  the 
current  the  higher  the  dam.  In  very  flat  country, 
where  the  waterways  are  sluggish,  and  these  are 
the  most  sought  after  by  the  beaver,  they  are 
usually  not  more  than  a  foot  or  two  in  height. 
Few  streams  are  too  large,  and  none  too  small  for 
dams.  I  have  seen  a  stream  less  than  two  feet 
wide  on  which  there  were  no  less  than  seven 
within  a  distance  of  scarcely  one  hundred  yards. 
Their  chief  object,  apparently,  was  to  keep  the 
water  from  draining  out  of  a  flat  alder  swamp, 
from  which  the  beavers  were  busily  engaged  in 
getting  their  winter  supply  of  food.  To  have 
hauled  branches  through  the  tangled  undergrowth 
would  have  been  a  difficult  task,  but  by  keeping 
the  water  only  a  few  inches  above  its  normal  level 
they  could  make  channels  among  the  hummocks 
through  which  they  could  with  comparative  ease 
swim  with  the  branches  and  sticks. 

In  selecting  the  site  for  the  dam,  the  beaver 
shows  a  remarkable  power  of  discrimination,  and 
one  wonders  how  it  is  that  so  short  an  animal  can 
possibly  make  any  survey  of  the  country  and  get 
any  appreciation  of  the  conditions.  They  have 
two  principal  objects  in  view  when  selecting  the 
site  for  a  new  house  ;  an  abundance  of  water,  and 
trees  whose  bark  is  suitable  for  food.  These  are 
their  needs,  but  the  question  of  obtaining  and 
controlling  them  requires  serious  consideration  and 


42        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

much  careful  planning.  Good  sites  for  house  and 
dam  are  not  found  everywhere,  neither  is  an 
adjacent  food  supply,  while  for  the  combination 
they  must  have  to  search  over  many  weary  miles. 
It  would  be  most  interesting  to  know  their 
methods.  Do  they  deliberately  go  out  on  u  house- 
hunting" expeditions,  examining  everything  as 
they  go  along,  and  following  each  stream  either  to 
find  its  source,  or  discover  springs  which  will  ensure 
sufficient  water  in  the  stream  during  the  dry 
season  ?  Whatever  is  their  method,  the  results  are 
in  nearly  all  cases  eminently  successful.  The  work 
of  hunting  for  a  suitable  place  to  establish  a  house 
is  done  during  the  summer  months,  for  then  the 
beavers  do  not  usually  occupy  their  lodge.  They 
wander  about  the  country,  nearly  always  following 
the  waterways.  If,  for  any  reason,  it  is  their 
intention  to  found  a  new  colony,  they  remain  in 
what  seems  a  desirable  situation,  living  in  bank 
burrows  instead  of  lodges,  while  the  possibilities 
are  thoroughly  investigated  and  plans  apparently 
made  for  building  the  dam.  A  stream  flowing 
through  country  well  wooded  with  poplars  and 
hardwoods  is  usually  chosen,  and  the  work  begins  at 
any  time  during  the  summer,  though  more  often 
towards  the  approach  of  autumn.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  no  attempt  is  made  until  as  late  as  the 
beginning  of  cool  weather,  but  there  seems  to  be 
every  reason  for  believing  that  they  prefer  the  time 
when  the  streams  are  at  their  lowest,  which  is 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    43 

August.  Then  they  see  what  is  the  minimum 
supply  of  water,  and  the  dam  may  be  built  with  the 
least  possible  trouble.  When  they  finally  settle 
on  the  exact  site,  the  first  sticks  are  laid,  and  these 
in  most  cases  are  freshly  cut  and  not  peeled. 
Alders  are  perhaps  the  most  frequently  used,  as 
they  are  found  growing  along  the  waterways  and  are 
therefore  easily  obtained,  while  their  weight  allows 
of  their  being  sunk  without  much  difficulty,  and 
their  irregular  form  of  growth  helps  them  to  hold 
on  the  bottom  against  the  current  of  water.  How 
quickly  a  dam  is  built  depends  entirely  on  the 
urgency  of  the  situation.  If  it  is  late  in  the  year, 
the  building  proceeds  with  incredible  speed,  little 
more  than  a  week  of  steady  work  on  the  part  of  a 
family  will  see  a  thirty  or  forty-foot  dam  raised  to  a 
height  of  two  feet  or  more.  As  soon  as  it  backs 
up  the  water,  the  house  is  commenced  and  we  find 
that  all  the  different  tasks  are  being  attended  to 
simultaneously — dams,  both  main  and  subsidiary, 
lodges,  tree-cutting,  and  storing  of  winter  food. 
Within  a  few  weeks  the  colony  becomes  established 
and  the  face  of  the  land  is  changed  by  the  work  of 
these  small  animals.  Larger  and  larger  the  pond 
grows,  as  the  dam  is  extended,  while  the  banks 
are  covered  with  fresh,  white  stumps  of  fallen 
trees,  as  though  a  gang  of  lumber-men  were  at 
work.  Each  night  sees  marked  changes  resulting 
from  the  untiring  work  of  these  builders  and  tree- 
cutters.  If  the  colony  is  successful  and  the  site 


44        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

chosen  proves  entirely  satisfactory  it  will  continue 
to  grow  as  the  years  go  on,  each  year  seeing  the 
extending  of  the  dam,  and,  if  necessary,  the  number 
of  subsidiary  dams  increased.  The  trees  whose 
base  has  been  flooded  by  the  rising  water  gradually 
die,  and  the  gaunt  grey  columns  bear  witness  to  the 
effect  that  beavers'  work  has  on  the  land.  So  long 
as  the  supply  of  suitable  food  trees  is  to  be  found 
the  colony  remains,  unless  killed  off  or  driven  oft 
by  the  trappers,  and  so  it  is  that  such  immense 
dams  are  found,  some  over  two  thousand  feet  in 
length  with  a  height  of  from  two  to  about  fourteen 
feet,  the  result  of  countless  generations  of  indus- 
trious beavers,  not  necessarily  working  continuously, 
for  they  often  abandon  a  pond  for  many  years, 
apparently  to  give  time  for  the  food  trees  to  grow. 
On  their  return,  or  if  a  new  colony  takes  possession, 
they  have  a  busy  time  repairing  the  dam  and 
getting  everything  in  proper  order. 

The  solidity  of  the  structures  is  perhaps  best 
proved  by  the  fact  that  some  have  been  found  in 
Montana  which  were  in  a  partially  petrified  state. 
As  a  rule,  however,  the  life  of  a  dam  is  but 
a  few  years  beyond  the  period  during  which  it  is 
used  ;  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  material  employed, 
constant  supervision  and  repair  are  absolutely  neces- 
sary. The  beaver  realise  this  and  seldom  allow 
a  night  to  pass,  during  the  autumn,  without 
making  a  tour  of  inspection  and  building  up 
and  strengthening  any  part  that  shows  signs  of 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   45 

weakness.  The  smallest  hole  is  soon  enlarged  by 
the  pressure  of  water  passing  through,  so  that  if  it 
is  not  speedily  closed  the  destruction  of  the  whole 
structure  is  threatened  ;  rats,  musquash  and  otters 
sometimes  burrow  through  the  dams  and  cause 
untold  damage. 

How  persistent  the  beaver  is  in  repairing  is  well 
illustrated  by  the  following  experiment  made  in 
the  Algonquin  Reserve.  Knowing  that  the  best 
way  to  secure  flashlight  photographs  of  the  animals 
at  work  was  by  making  a  break  in  their  dam,  I 
selected  one  within  convenient  distance  of  where 
I  was  staying.  After  arranging  the  cameras  in 
position,  I  made  an  opening  in  the  dam  about  two 
feet  wide  and  laid  a  thread  across.  This  was 
attached  to  the  electric  switch  which  operated  the 
flashlight  and  shutters  of  the  cameras.  Scarcely 
three  hours  elapsed  before  the  animals,  who  had 
found  that  the  water  was  rapidly  escaping  from 
their  pond,  visited  the  dam  and  repaired  the  breach. 
Before  midnight  I  returned  and  reset  the  cameras, 
after  again  opening  the  dam.  Before  morning  this 
had  again  been  mended.  After  that  I  continued 
each  night  to  repeat  the  operation,  breaking  open 
the  dam  at  least  once  each  night,  sometimes  twice, 
and  on  two  occasions  three  times.  During  the 
twenty-two  nights,  only  twice  did  the  beaver  fail 
to  more  or  less  completely  fill  in  the  openings  I 
had  made,  though  they  never  once  did  so  while  I 
remained  to  watch,  even  though  I  took  every 


46        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

possible  precaution  not  only  to  conceal  myself,  but 
to  select  a  position  down  wind  of  the  dam,  where 
I  remained  sometimes  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  night. 

When  a  dam  is  abandoned,  it  is  soon  worn  down 
by  animals  using  it  as  a  roadway,  or  it  is  overgrown 
by  alders  and  willows,  whose  roots  cause  a.  certain 
amount  of  leakage,  so  that  the  pond  is  gradually 
drained,  and  in  a  very  few  years  there  is  little  to 
show  that  a  dam  ever  existed  in  the  place. 

Among  the  many  interesting  features  of  the 
dams,  there  is  one  which  speaks  most  highly  for 
the  builder's  intelligence.  That  is  the  method 
adopted  for  taking  care  of  the  overflow.  In  most 
cases,  the  water  finds  its  way  through  the  loose 
brush  near  the  crown.  This  is  well  enough  under 
normal  conditions,  but  when  the  dam  is  on  a  good- 
sized  stream  so  that  there  is  a  large  volume  flowing 
from  the  pond,  the  beaver  frequently  make  a  spill- 
way or  opening  a  few  feet  wide,  and  deep  according 
to  the  conditions.  These  openings  are  quite  clearly 
defined,  and  are  evidently  made  with  a  full  under- 
standing of  their  purpose.  For  when  there  is  a 
scarcity  of  water,  the  intelligent  animals  close  the 
opening  as  much  as  may  be  necessary.  This 
shows  how  thoroughly  they  realise  what  they  are 
doing  when  building  their  dams,  and  how  they 
understand  the  value  of  controlling  the  outlet  of 
the  water.  They  a,re  always  ready  to  grapple  with 
new  problems,  and  no  ordinary  contingency  appears 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   47 

to  baffle  them.  I  saw  an  instance  in  Newfoundland 
which  may  be  worth  repeating :  a  small  colony  of 
beaver  were  engaged  in  building  a  dam  across  a 
swift  stream  about  forty  feet  in  width.  Before 
the  work  was  quite  finished,  so  that  the  dam  had 
not  yet  settled  enough  to  gain  its  proper  strength, 
there  came  a  great  rain  which  continued  for  several 
days  and  flooded  the  country.  The  beavers,  seeing 
that  their  new  dam  was  threatened  with  immediate 
destruction,  came  down  during  the  night  and  made 
a  large  opening  by  cutting  away  the  sticks.  This 
allowed  the  water  to  escape  and  so  the  dam  was 
saved.  No  sooner  had  the  water  resumed  its 
normal  level  than  the  little  engineers  closed  the 
break  they  had  made  and  continued  the  structure 
to  its  completion.  For  fear  that  I  might  have  been 
mistaken  and  that  the  opening  had  been  made  by 
the  force  of  the  water,  I  examined  it  carefully  and 
found  the  tooth-marks  on  the  sticks  showing  with- 
out doubt  where  the  animals  had  cut  them  away : 
and  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  Father  Jouvency, 
as  long  ago  as  1610 — 13,  made  note  of  this  same 
thing  being  done.  He  says :  "  But  if  the  river 
swell  more  than  is  safe,  they  break  open  some  part 
of  the  structure,  and  let  through  as  much  water 
as  seems  sufficient." 

The  more  we  study  the  beaver  dams  the  more 
we  must  recognise  the  care  exercised  in  the 
selection  of  their  sites.  Everything  seems  to  be 
considered  and  every  advantage  is  taken  of  the 


48        ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

prevailing  conditions.  In  the  photograph  there 
is  an  example  of  how  cleverly  the  small  creatures 
utilised  an  immense  boulder  in  the  middle  of  a 
rapid  flowing  stream.  Rocky  bedded  waterways 
offer  many  and  serious  difficulties  to  the  beavers, 
for  it  is  hard  to  get  anchorage,  and  in  this 
particular  case  the  current  was  so  swift  that  to 
build  a  successful  dam  required  unusual  skill. 
Evidently  the  beaver  made  a  thorough  investiga- 
tion of  the  little  river  and  finally  selected  what 
was  about  the  only  reasonably  good  place  for  their 
operations.  The  large  boulder  acted  as  a  support 
or  anchor  for  their  work  (this  can  be  plainly  seen  in 
the  photograph),  so  that  when  the  structure,  which 
was  over  four  feet  high,  was  finished,  it  resisted 
the  flow  of  water  and  formed  a  fair-sized  pond  and 
an  island  on  which  the  beaver  built  their  lodge. 

Some  writers  have  claimed  that  the  animals 
begin  their  dams  by  felling  a  large  tree  across  the 
stream.  This  may  be  true,  but  I  have  never  seen 
an  instance  of  it.  What  does  often  happen  is  that 
a  fallen  tree  lying  across  a  stream  suggests  a  good 
position  for  the  dam,  or  a  floating  log  carried  down 
during  the  spring  thaws  becomes  lodged  against 
the  stream  banks  so  that  the  beaver  take  advantage 
of  it  and  build  against  it.  Except  under  conditions 
of  this  kind  it  is  unusual  to  find  the  timber,  whether 
stick,  brush  or  log,  placed  so  that  it  lies  in  any 
way  but  with  the  course  of  the  stream.  This  is 
reasonable  enough  when  we  consider  how  little 


A  gate  or  spillway  cut  in  the  dam  in  order  to  let  the  surplus  water  escape. 
In  times  of  drought  this  would  be  either  partly  or  completely  closed. 


Showing  the  facing  of  a  recently  abandoned  dam. 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    49 

cross-pieces  would  add  to  the  strength  of  the  dam, 
and  they  would  be  easily  dislodged  by  the  pressure 
of  the  flowing  water.  Whereas  when  placed  with 
butts  upwards  and  headed  against  the  current,  the 
points  are  forced  against  the  bed  of  the  river  and 
as  weight  is  added  to  them  they  offer  a  barrier  of 
great  strength,  capable  of  resisting  any  ordinary 
pressure  of  water.  When  the  supply  of  water  is 
too  limited,  the  beaver  take  the  utmost  care  to  see 
that  none  is  wasted,  and  the  dam  is  coated  with 
unusual  care  to  render  it  practically  watertight 
even  towards  the  ends,  and  every  tiny  trickle  is 
stopped,  sometimes  by  little  dams  only  a  few 
inches  long,  just  a  handful  or  two  of  sod  placed  in 
exactly  the  right  position,  perhaps  some  distance 
from  the  actual  structure.  If  during  the  autumn 
these  are  trodden  down  or  broken  they  will  nearly 
always  be  repaired  within  a  few  hours,  so  careful 
is  the  supervision  of  the  beaver. 

For  some  reason  which  can  only  be  guessed  at, 
the  beaver  nearly  always  leave  a  roadway  across 
the  dam  leading  from  the  pond  to  the  outlet.  This 
is  also  much  used  by  other  animals  of  aquatic 
habits  such  as  mink,  musquash  and  otter,  and 
though  occasionally  we  also  find  a  weU-beaten 
path  running  along  the  dam  from  bank  to  bank 
this  is  not  a  beaver  path.  More  often  it  is  the 
work  of  foxes,  deer,  lynx  and  other  prowlers  of 
the  woods,  as  well  as  man,  who  finds  these 
"bridges"  most  convenient.  Many  a  time  have 

R.B.  E 


50        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

I  found  myself  at  a  loss  for  a  way  of  crossing  a 
stream  until  the  fortunate  discovery  of  a  beaver 
dam  has  enabled  me  to  avoid  a  wetting. 

Having  now  seen  something  of  the  dams,  so  that 
without  going  into  a  lot  of  tiresome  and  unneces- 
sary detail  such  as  exact  measurements  of  numerous 
structures  (which  must  vary  continually),  the  reader 
has  at  least  a  general  idea  of  what  they  are  like 
without,  I  hope,  being  too  much  bored.  We  have 
seen  that  the  dams  range  in  length  from  a  few 
inches  to  two  thousand  feet  or  more,  and  in  height 
up  to  fourteen  feet,  containing  from  a  pound  or  two 
of  building  material  up  to  several  hundred  tons,  all 
carried  laboriously  by  the  industrious  builders  in 
their  tiny  hands  or  with  their  powerful  teeth.  Also 
that  the  idea  of  this  stupendous  work  is  to  enable 
the  animals  to  keep  water  at  a  constant  level  for  the 
protection  of  their  lodge  and  to  furnish  them  with 
a  convenient  means  of  transporting  their  supply  of 
wood.  This  brings  us  naturally  to  their  wood-cut- 
ting operations,  about  which  many  wonderful  tales 
have  been  told.  Before  going  into  the  methods,  it 
might  be  well  to  give  the  reason  for  woodcutting 
even  at  the  risk  of  slight  repetition.  Beavers' 
natural  food  consists  of  a  purely  vegetable  diet,  the 
chief  item  being  the  bark  of  trees,  not  the  outside 
shell,  but  the  cambium  layer  which  contains  the 
very  life  of  the  tree.  To  a  limited  extent  they  also 
use  the  wood  itself,  but  the  nutriment  obtained 
from  it  is  so  insignificant  that  it  is  only  occasionally 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   51 

used.  Nearly  all  of  the  deciduous  or  broad-leaved 
trees  supply  food  for  the  beaver,  but  the  most 
sought-after  are  perhaps  the  different  birches, 
maples,  poplars,  willows  and  ashes — to  a  less  extent, 
alder,  viburnum,  dog- wood,  wild  cherry  and  others 
according  to  the  locality.  The  bark  of  the  conifers 
is  not  much  used,  some  authorities  say  that  it  is 
never  eaten,  yet  the  trees  are  frequently  cut  down 
by  the  beaver.  I  have  seen  several  instances,  but 
none  of  them  had  any  of  the  branches  cut  off. 
From  Indians  and  trappers,  1  have  been  told  that 
immediately  before  the  young  are  born  or  about 
that  time,  the  prospective  mother  eats  a  small 
amount  of  spruce,  pine  or  other  conifer  bark,  which 
they  believe  to  have  some  medicinal  property. 
During  the  spring  and  summer,  many  kinds  of 
roots  and  berries  are  eaten,  and  at  all  seasons  the 
roots  of  water-lily  and  spatterdock  are  used.  In 
certain  districts  these  form  the  main  supply  even 
during  the  winter,  when  the  beaver  come  out  of 
the  lodges,  and  beneath  the  ice  gather  the  roots  as 
they  are  needed  and  take  them  into  their  houses  to 
eat.  From  this  habit  has  come  the  curious  super- 
stition that  a  beaver  if  shot  in  the  evening  sinks, 
while  if  shot  in  the  morning  he  floats,  because  he  is 
filled  with  the  light,  pithy  substance  of  the  lily  root 
which  has  been  eaten  during  the  night.  Needless 
to  say,  this  is  scarcely  likely  to  be  true,  though, 
as  I  have  never  shot  a  beaver,  I  cannot  speak 
from  actual  experience.  Now  it  will  be  noted 

E  2 


52        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

that  bark  is  the  chief  food,  and  that  in  order 
to  obtain  a  supply  sufficient  to  carry  the  animals 
over  the  long,  dreary,  snow-bound  winter  months 
a  quantity  must  be  stored.  Needless  to  say, 
this  necessitates  the  felling  of  trees  and  sap- 
lings before  the  cold  weather  comes.  A  certain 
amount  of  brush  is  used  from  which  the  tender 
bark  is  eaten,  and  most  of  this  brush  is  obtained 
from  the  ends  of  branches,  although  some  shrubs 
are  also  cut.  Apparently  not  so  much  bark  is  eaten 
during  the  spring  and  summer  as  later,  if  we  may 
judge  from  the  peeled  sticks  which  are  found  in 
such  abundance  in  September,  October  and  Novem- 
ber. During  the  earlier  part  of  this  season,  no  wood 
is  stored,  though  many  trees  are  either  cut  or  partly 
cut,  while  still  more  are  simply  marked  or  blazed, 
as  already  stated  in  the  beginning  of  this  volume. 
This  blazing  at  first  glance  reminds  one  of  the  work 
of  the  lumber-man  and  we  are  inclined  to  put  a 
wrong  construction  on  beavers'  ideas.  We  might 
think  that  the  trees  are  simply  being  marked  for 
cutting  later  on,  or  that  the  head  of  the  family  or 
colony  selects  what  trees  he  considers  should  be 
felled  and  marks  them  with  the  three  or  four  cuts. 
But  though  such  theories  are  most  alluring,  and 
one  is  surprised  that  they  have  not  led  to  additional 
stories  of  beaver-wonders,  common  sense  steps  in 
and  offers  a  logical  reason  which  should  be  con- 
sidered, even  though  it  is  merely  practical  and  not 
at  all  particularly  wonderful.  This  explanation  is 


Recently  made  dam. 


A  prolonged  rain  flooded  the  stream  and  threatened  to  carry  away  the  dam, 
so  the  beaver  made  an  opening  through  which  the  water  escaped  anil 
the  dam  was  saved.  The  opening  was  afterwards  closed. 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   53 

that  in  order  to  keep  the  bark  perfectly  sweet  while 
under  water  for  a  considerable  time,  the  tree  must 
be  in  a  certain  condition,  otherwise  the  bark  might 
ferment  or  in  some  other  way  become  unfit  for 
food.  The  only  way  in  which  the  beaver  can  assure 
himself  of  the  tree's  condition  is  by  biting  into  the 
inner  bark,  therefore  this  would  account  for  the 
numerous  blazed  trees  which  may  be  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  ponds  and  lodges.  Carrying  this 
idea  a  little  further,  we  have  also  a  possible  ex- 
planation for  the  fact  that  such  a  large  number  of 
trees  are  girdled  and  left  often  for  weeks  before 
being  finally  dropped.  This  girdling  allows  the 
tree  to  dry  more  quickly  than  if  left  with  the  bark 
on.  The  acceptance  of  this  theory  means,  of 
course,  that  we  are  endowing  the  animals  with 
extraordinary  intelligence;  but  how  can  we  avoid 
doing  so  when  we  see  what  they  accomplish  ? 
When  I  first  described  this  systematic  marking  of 
trees,  I  was  ridiculed,  partly  because  it  had  not 
previously  been  brought  to  anyone's  notice  (so  far 
as  I  know),  but  the  fact  that  it  is  commonly  done 
by  beavers  can  be  proved  by  a  visit  to  any  place 
where  the  animals  are  preparing  to  store  their 
winter  food,  and  as  a  reason  for  its  being  done 
these  theories  are  offered  simply  as  theories. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  cutting  down  trees  is 
the  most  wonderful  work  accomplished  by  beaver, 
but  how  such  a  conclusion  can  be  reached  is 
difficult  to  understand.  Nearly  all  of  their  efforts 


54        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

demand  far  greater  intelligence,  though  from  a 
physical  point  of  view  the  cutting  of  immense  trees 
by  so  small  an  animal  is  extraordinary,  if  not 
unique  in  the  world  of  quadrupeds.  Just  as  in  all 
their  other  engineering  and  architectural  feats,  the 
beaver  are  most  systematic  in  their  wood-cutting 
operations ;  as  a  rule  the  trees  bordering  the  pond 
or  river  are  the  first  to  be  cut,  then  as  this  supply 
is  depleted  they  go  further  afield ;  but  as  the 
carrying  and  pushing  of  logs  on  land  is  hard  work 
they  clear  a  path  or  road  to  the  water.  When  they 
discover  a  place  where  there  is  a  poplar  grove  or 
clump  of  suitable  trees  of  any  variety,  they  will, 
before  beginning  other  work,  make  a  smooth  road- 
way, often  as  much  as  five  feet  or  more  in  width 
leading  from  the  trees  to  the  nearest  water.  From 
this  road  every  obstruction  will  usually  be  cleared 
so  that  the  logs  may  be  brought  down  with  the 
least  possible  effort.  The  actual  cutting  down  of 
the  tree  is  done  by  means  of  the  chisel-like  teeth 
which  cut  through  the  wood  across  the  grain  with 
the  keenness  of  steel.  The  number  of  beaver  that 
work  together  is  variable,  often  a  solitary  one 
unaided  will  cut  down  a  tree  eight  or  ten  inches  in 
diameter  during  a  single  night,  sometimes  several 
will  work  together ;  though  it  is  most  unusual  for 
more  than  two  to  be  actually  cutting  at  the  same 
time,  others  may  be  near  by,  and  even  take  turns, 
but  they  avoid  getting  in  each  other's  way.  It 
has  often  been  said  that  while  a  tree  is  being  cut, 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   55 

one  beaver  stays  some  distance  away  and  watches 
the  top.  At  the  first  intimation  of  its  falling,  he 
signals  by  either  slapping  the  ground  or  the  water 
with  his  tail  and  the  others  immediately  run  away. 
Unfortunately,  I  have  never  been  an  eye-witness 
of  such  a  performance,  and  even  though  I  have 
heard  many  trees  being  felled — some  within  forty 
yards  of  my  camp — I  have  never  heard  the  signal, 
nor  have  I  seen  the  beaver  on  watch.  Besides 
which,  it  scarcely  seems  reasonable  that  the  animal 
while  cutting  should  need  any  notice  of  the  tree 
falling.  With  his  teeth  against  the  wood,  the 
creaking  sound  of  even  the  beginning  of  the  fall 
would  be  very  evident,  even  if  he  did  not  hear  the 
top  brushing  against  the  other  trees  on  its  down- 
ward path.  Animals  do  not  do  unnecessary  things, 
and  this  warning  certainly  seems  unnecessary  even 
though  it  may  be  true.  That  the  beavers  remain 
fairly  quiet  for  a  few  minutes  after  a  tree  has 
crashed  to  earth  is  quite  possible,  though  it  is  not 
by  any  means  always  done,  while  the  explanation 
usually  offered  does  not  sound  altogether  right. 
Why  should  the  sound  of  a  falling  tree  attract 
enemies?  Such  sounds  are  only  too  common  in 
the  forests,  and  the  noise  made  by  the  biting  of 
the  wood  is  so  loud  that  even  a  man  with  his 
dulled  sense  of  hearing  can  distinguish  it  many 
hundred  yards  away  on  a  still  night.  If  the 
beaver  does  stay  motionless  after  the  crash  there 
is  probably  some  other  reason — possibly  it  is  for 


56       ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

the  purpose  of  resting.  From  the  very  different 
heights  of  the  stumps  it  is  obvious  that  the 
beaver  follows  no  hard  and  fast  rule  in  cutting. 
Frequently  stumps  four  or  five  feet  in  height  are 
found.  These  of  course  are  done  when  the  ground 
is  covered  with  well- packed  or  ice -coated  snow, 
except  in  cases  where  the  animal  stands  on  a  con- 
venient log  or  mound  of  earth,  and  so  reaches  high 
enough  to  avoid  the  bulging  part  of  the  trunk  near 
the  ground.  That  the  beaver  ever  make  piles  of 
earth  for  the  purpose  of  having  an  elevated  plat- 
form is  hard  to  believe,  notwithstanding  what  has 
been  written  on  that  subject.  The  origin  of  such 
stories  is  probably  the  mounds  of  moss-covered 
earth  or  decayed  tree  stumps  which  are  so  often 
found  close  against  growing  trees,  marking  perhaps 
the  tombstone  of  the  parent  of  the  existing  tree. 
These  mounds  are  quickly  worn  down  by  the 
beaver  standing  on  them  so  that  they  have  the 
appearance  of  being  made  of  freshly  collected  mud 
or  earth. 

In  cutting,  the  beaver  sometimes  stands  erect 
and  cuts  as  high  as  he  can  reach,  then  again,  judg- 
ing from  the  very  low  stumps,  some  of  them 
stand  on  all  fours,  but  the  usual  method  is  to 
stand  on  the  hind  feet  with  the  broad  tail  stretched 
out  behind  to  act  as  a  balance.  Either  one  or 
both  front  feet  or  hands  are  placed  on  the  trunk. 
In  most  cases,  the  cutting  is  done  all  round  the 
tree  as  shown  in  some  of  the  photographs,  while 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   57 

occasionally,  owing  to  the  position  of  the  tree,  the 
cutting  is  done  entirely  from  one  side.  This,  of 
course,  involves  far  greater  labour  on  account  of 
the  larger  opening  being  necessary.  The  size  of 
the  chips  which  are  cut  by  the  beaver  is  truly 
extraordinary.  If  the  wood  is  soft,  such  as  poplar 
or  cedar,  they  will  take  out  pieces  fully  five  inches 
long  by  an  inch  and  a  half  wide  and  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  in  thickness,  while  with  hard  woods  such 
as  maple  or  birch,  the  chips  will  be  usually  three  to 
four  inches  long  and  one  and  a  half  wide.  Much 
larger  chips  are  sometimes  found,  but  they  are 
exceptional,  and  must  not  be  taken  as  the  rule. 
Nine  inch  chips  are  mentioned  by  some  writers, 
but  they  were  perhaps  cut  for  bedding  purposes,  to 
be  taken  in  the  lodge  and  shredded,  and  can  not, 
therefore,  be  regarded  as  chips  cut  during  the  fell- 
ing of  trees.  From  the  size  of  the  tooth  scars,  the 
size  of  the  beaver  may  be  judged.  Many  other 
tales  do  they  tell.  Often  the  mark  of  a  chipped 
tooth  is  found,  which  shows  that  the  animal  had 
probably  been  caught  in  a  trap  and  broken  the 
tooth  by  trying  to  bite  the  cruel  steel,  while  dull 
and  rough  edges  are  evidence  of  the  great  age  of 
the  beaver,  just  as  the  narrow  cuttings  are  the  work 
of  the  youngsters. 

The  upsetting  of  pet  beliefs  is  always  a  thankless 
task ;  but  this  is  not  a  book  of  fairy  tales.  The 
truth,  so  far  as  possible,  must  be  told  even  at  the 
risk  of  being  called  to  account  for  being  too  practical 


58        ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

and  not  indulging  sufficiently  in  romance.  The 
popular  notion  that  the  beaver  knows  exactly  in 
which  direction  a  tree  will  fall  is  not  borne  out  by 
fact,  and  I  feel  sure,  after  having  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  subject,  that  the  direction  is  purely  a 
matter  of  chance.  It  is  quite  true  that  most  trees 
growing  near  the  water  fall  towards  it,  but  this  is 
not  due  in  any  way  to  the  wishes  or  skill  of  the 
animal,  but  to  the  obvious  fact  that  trees  grow 
towards  light.  The  water,  being  an  open  space, 
attracts  them  ;  therefore  when  cut  it  is  only  natural 
that  they  should  fall  the  way  they  are  inclined. 
Another  common  fallacy  is  that  the  beaver  never 
makes  mistakes  in  tree  cutting.  Quite  a  large 
proportion  of  the  trees  they  cut  lodge  in  the 
branches  of  their  neighbours.  When  this  happens 
they  are  usually  abandoned  without  further  effort, 
but  sometimes  we  see  cases  which  prove  the  per- 
sistence of  the  little  woodsmen.  Not  only  will 
they  cut  through  the  trunk  a  second  time,  but  even 
a  third  or  fourth  time,  in  the  hopes  of  attaining 
their  object.  The  photograph  shows  a  good 
example  of  this.  The  tree,  a  birch,  ten  inches 
in  diameter  at  the  stump,  was  cut  through  twice 
without  bringing  it  down.  A  third  attempt  was 
made,  but  not  quite  completed  at  the  time  that  the 
photograph  was  taken.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  the  little  creatures  should  make  such  mis- 
takes, considering  the  fact  that  their  eyesight  is  only 
fairly  good,  and  that  as  they  work  almost  entirely 


In  this  rapid  stream  (Newfoundland)  the  beaver  selected  the  only  possible 
place  for  their  dam .  By  making  use  of  the  large  boulder  they  secured 
anchorage  for  the  structure. 


The  log  (cut  by  lumber-men)  seen  in  the  foreground  evidently  suggested  to 
the  beaver  the  site  for  their  dam,  aud  is  an  illustration  of  how  they 
take  advantage  of  conditions.  The  dam  was  365  feet  in  length, 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   59 

during  the  night  they  can  scarcely  be  expected  to 
see  clearly  the  tree-tops  which  are  perhaps  forty  or 
fifty  feet  above  them.  How  often  does  man  make 
exactly  the  same  mistake  ?  Yet  he  works  in  broad 
daylight  and  has  far  better  eyesight.  When  a  tree 
becomes  lodged,  the  beavers'  method  of  solving  the 
difficulty  is  usually  quite  different  from  our  own. 
We  seldom  cut  through  the  same  tree  a  second 
time,  but  choose  rather  to  cut  away  the  obstructing 
tree.  The  beaver,  on  the  contrary,  nearly  always 
confines  his  efforts  to  bringing  down  the  tree  he 
wants  by  repeated  cutting.  Only  very  rarely  do 
they  adopt  the  man's  method.  In  cases  where  a 
tree  falls  so  that  it  comes  nearly  to  the  ground 
either  through  being  entangled  in  another  tree  or 
held  up  by  its  own  branches  resting  on  the  ground, 
the  beaver  make  their  way  along  the  inclined  trunk 
and  cut  off  the  supporting  branches  or,  if  not  too 
thick,  the  top  of  the  tree,  so  that  it  shall  fall  to 
earth  and  be  more  easily  manipulated.  The  great 
weight  of  the  beavers'  body  and  the  formation  of 
their  feet  prevent  their  climbing  a  vertical  trunk, 
but  when  it  inclines  to  an  angle  of  even  forty 
degrees  they  manage  to  walk  along  the  rough  bark 
without  difficulty.  Often  have  I  found  branches 
cut  off  which  were  eight  or  ten  feet  from  the  ground, 
but  seldom  at  any  greater  height. 

The  size  of  trees  which  beaver  will  cut  is  almost 
incredible.  The  largest  I  have  seen  was  twenty- 
two  inches  in  diameter  where  the  cut  was  made, 


60       ROMANCE   OP  THE   BEAVER 

that  is  to  say,  about  sixty-six  inches  in  circumfer- 
ence, a  tree  large  enough  to  give  an  amateur  axe- 
man a  lot  of  trouble.  There  are  accounts  of  still 
larger  trees  being  brought  down  by  the  industrious 
little  woodsmen.  Lewis  and  Clarke  mention  having 
found  trunks  which  measured  nearly  three  feet  in 
diameter,  and  Mills  says  :  "  The  largest  beaver-cut 
stump  that  I  have  ever  measured  was  on  the 
Jefferson  River,  in  Montana,  near  the  mouth  of 
Pipestone  Creek.  This  was  three  feet  six  inches  in 
diameter."  He  omits  to  mention  the  species  of 
tree,  but  it  was  probably  a  cotton- wood,  as  it  is 
impossible  to  imagine  the  animals  attempting  to 
cut  anything  harder  when  the  immense  size  is 
considered.  A  tree  having  a  circumference  of 
approximately  126  inches  must  offer  almost  insur- 
mountable difficulties,  but,  when  successfully  felled, 
the  animals  would  at  least  experience  the  satisfaction 
of  having  a  very  liberal  supply  of  food,  enough 
perhaps  to  last  a  family  all  winter.  Trees  of  these 
sizes  are  of  course  exceptional ;  the  usual  size  ranges 
from  four  to  ten  or  twelve  inches  in  diameter.  These 
are  more  convenient  to  handle,  and  in  the  end  offer 
a  more  economical  undertaking,  as  they  can  be  cut 
up  and  every  part,  including  trunk  and  branches, 
can  be  used,  whereas  if  the  trunk  is  too  large,  they 
never  attempt  to  cut  it  into  short  lengths  suitable 
for  transporting  to  the  food  pile.  Seldom  indeed 
do  they  divide  a  trunk  having  a  maximum  diameter 
of  more  than  eight  or  nine  inches.  Even  this  size 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   61 

necessitates  a  great  deal  of  labour,  as,  in  order  that 
they  may  be  easily  handled,  the  logs  must  be  very 
short,  not  longer  in  fact  than  a  foot  and  a  half  or 
two  feet.  The  beaver  knows  the  weight  of  wood 
to  a  nicety,  and  he  divides  the  logs  and  branches 
into  lengths  which  can  be  handled.  This,  one  may 
say,  is  instinctive.  Perhaps  so.  But  it  looks  un- 
commonly like  reasoning.  It  certainly  requires 
something  very  closely  akin  to  intelligence  to  work 
out  the  weight  of  a  long  prostrate  log,  so  that  as 
the  diameter  decreases  the  distance  between  cuts 
increases,  with  the  result  that  each  piece  is  of  more 
or  less  the  same  weight.  There  is  nothing  hap- 
hazard about  it,  and  though  the  beaver  have  no 
callipers  or  measures,  they  seem  to  know  by  looking 
at  the  log  what  proportion  the  length  should  have 
to  the  diameter,  and  seldom  do  may  make  any  very 
great  mistake  in  their  calculations.  Abandoned 
logs  are  found,  but  whether  left  on  account  of  their 
excessive  weight  or  from  some  other  cause  we 
cannot  say  for  certain.  It  is  more  than  likely  that 
the  wretched  creatures  become  so  absorbed  in  their 
labours  that  they  fail  to  detect  the  stealthy  approach 
of  some  enemy,  and  so  fall  easy  victims,  the  forsaken 
log  remaining  to  mark  the  place  of  the  pitiful 
tragedy.  The  methods  adopted  by  the  beaver  for 
taking  the  logs  down  to  the  water  are  various. 
When  the  branch  is  small,  or  long  and  thin,  it  is 
usually  carried  in  the  teeth,  the  larger  end  forward 
if  it  has  many  twigs,  otherwise  the  smaller  and 


62        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

lighter  end  is  held  in  the  teeth  so  that  the  remainder 
hangs  over  the  animal's  shoulder.  Sometimes  the 
beaver  proceeds  in  this  way  on  his  hind  feet  only, 
with  his  front  feet  or  hands  holding  the  branch. 
Heavier  logs  are  pulled  or  pushed  either  with  the 
head,  chest  or  even  the  hips.  Whether  more  than 
one  does  this  work  I  have  never  been  able  to  assure 
myself,  but  I  think  it  is  usual  for  a  single  beaver  to 
take  complete  charge  of  his  own  log,  get  it  down 
to  the  water  as  best  he  can,  and  then  swim  with  it 
to  the  wood  pile,  where  he  sinks  it  or  places  it  on 
the  top,  according  to  his  own  ideas.  How  the 
sinking  of  the  wood  is  done  has  given  rise  to  many 
fanciful  tales.  Some  trappers  firmly  believe  that 
they  suck  the  air  out  of  the  wood  so  that  it  will 
easily  sink.  Anything  more  absurd  would  be  hard 
to  imagine.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  all  the  hard 
woods  have  a  specific  gravity  nearly  equal  to  that 
of  water,  so  it  requires  very  little  effort  to  take 
them  down.  Many  a  time  have  I  watched  the 
beaver  swimming  across  their  pond  with  a  branch, 
and  on  arriving  at  the  food  pile  dive  under  water, 
taking  their  branch  with  them.  How  they  manage 
to  keep  the  wood  from  floating  is  somewhat  difficult 
to  understand,  but  they  succeed  in  doing  so  most 
effectively.  I  have  never  seen  the  short,  thick  logs 
carried  down.  They  appear  to  be  forced  under 
water  by  the  weight  of  other  material  which  is  piled 
on  top  of  them.  The  size  of  the  wood  piles  varies 
according  to  the  number  of  beaver  who  are  expected 


An  abandoned  beaver  dam  over  300  feet  long;. 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   63 

to  subsist  on  them,  and  to  the  severity  of  the  winter 
in  each  neighbourhood.  Some  piles  are  fully 
thirty-five  or  even  forty  feet  across  and  con- 
tain a  fairly  closely-packed  mass  of  browse  and 
wood  from  five  to  about  ten  feet  in  depth.  Very 
little  use  is  made  of  this  store,  or  what  remains  of 
it,  after  the  ice  melts,  for  then  the  beaver  prefers  to 
cut  fresh  material  for  food.  The  water-soaked 
mass  of  brush  is  generally  left  at  the  bottom  where, 
by  rotting,  it  gradually  settles  lower  and  lower,  and 
often  forms  a  foundation  for  a  new  house  or  anchor- 
age for  the  next  season's  cuttings.  Occasionally  trees 
are  dropped  into  the  water,  more  particularly  in 
rivers,  so  that  the  tops  as  well  as  a  large  part  of  the 
branches  are  submerged.  The  beaver  leave  them 
there,  knowing  full  well  that  they  can  come  when- 
ever they  wish  during  the  winter  and  cut  off  what 
they  need  under  water.  It  is  usually  noticeable 
that  when  a  tree  is  used  in  this  way  the  animals 
cut  off  much  of  the  bark  around  the  thicker  portion 
of  the  trunk,  whether  it  is  exposed  or  beneath  the 
water,  and  they  also  trim  the  tree  of  most  of  the 
branches  which  project  above  water. 

When  the  lodges  are  built  in  places  where  there 
is  a  swift  current,  few  trees  of  any  size  are  ever  cut 
below  the  lodges.  Well  do  the  animals  know  that 
swimming  with  heavy  branches  against  the  stream 
is  hard  work  and  usually  quite  unnecessary,  so 
they  do  practically  all  their  wood-cutting  above 
stream  and  often  let  the  heavier  logs  drift  down 


64        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

until  they  are  nearly  opposite  the  lodge  or  store, 
when  they  are  immediately  steered  to  where  they 
are  wanted.  Still  further  do  they  go  in  their 
practical  understanding  of  water  transport,  and 
perhaps  I  can  explain  this  best  by  means  of  the 
accompanying  sketch.  It  will  be  observed  that 
the  lodge  is  at  a  bend  in  the  river  on  the  upper 
end  of  a  back  eddy,  so  that  where  the  winter 
wood-pile  is  placed  there  is  practically  no  current. 
The  beaver  were  getting  their  supply  of  wood  very 
largely  from  a  small  grove  of  birches  on  the  further 
side  of  the  pond  which  had  its  outlet  in  the  river 
at  a  point  where  the  current  was  flowing  rapidly 
down  stream,  so  that  to  have  taken  the  wood  to 
the  winter  pile  by  way  of  this  opening  would  have 
necessitated  a  long  swim  against  the  current. 
Instead  of  this,  however,  the  beaver  made  a  road- 
way across  the  narrowest  part  of  the  neck  of  land 
to  a  place  where  the  return  eddy  ran  toward  the 
lodge.  No  man  could  have  worked  out  the 
problem  with  greater  reason.  It  might  be  sug- 
gested that  this  is  an  exceptional  example.  But 
such  is  not  the  case,  for  practically  similar  exhibi- 
tions of  the  beavers'  engineering  skill  are  to  be 
seen  wherever  the  little  creatures  are  found.  In 
places  where  there  is  a  high  bank  separating  the 
pond  from  the  river,  they  will  cut  a  tunnel  through 
large  enough  to  enable  them  to  swim  to  the  river 
and  carry  their  branches  without  difficulty.  A 
short  cut  would  not  be  of  much  avail  if  it  meant 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   65 


R.B. 


66       ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

hauling  loads  up  a  steep  bank,  and  well  enough  do 
they  realise  this  when  they  make  the  tunnel.     It 
is  always  seen  that  the  beaver  never  carry  wood 
further  than  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  they  avail 
themselves  of  every  possible  opportunity  of  shorten- 
ing their  journeys,  resorting  to  the  most  remark- 
able feats  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  purpose. 
Of  all  the  work  done  by  beaver  nothing   can 
compare  for  cleverness  with  the  canals  they  con- 
struct.     These   canals,   I  venture   to   say,   are   a 
demonstration  of  the  highest  skill  to  be  found  in 
the  work  of  any  animal  below  man.     It  is  even 
doubtful  whether  man   in  his   lowest  form  does 
such   extraordinary   constructive   work,  and  with 
such  remarkable   success.      This  remark   may  be 
criticised  by  those  who  hate  to  credit  animals  with 
anything  more  than  instinct,  and  absolutely  deny 
to  them  the  power  of  a  certain  very  definite  order 
of  intelligence.     Instinct  is  defined  as  "  a  natural 
spontaneous  impulse   or  propensity,  especially  in 
the    lower    animals,   that    moves    them    without 
reasoning  toward  the  actions  that  are  essential  to 
their  existence,  preservation  and  development,  and 
that  reason   would   approve   as   tending   to   their 
welfare  or  to  some  useful  end."     Further,  it  is  said 
to   be  "unlike  reason  in  pushing  umntelligently 
toward  its  ends,  in  attaining  at  once  to  perfection 
in  its  work,  and  as  being  incapable  of  development 
and   progress."      "Although  reason   may  ...  in 
varying  degrees  be  blended  with  instinct,  the  dis- 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA  67 

tinction  between  the  two  is  sufficiently  precise ; 
for  reason,  in  whatever  degree  present,  only  acts 
upon  a  definite  and  often  laboriously  acquired 
knowledge  of  the  relation  between  means  and 
ends."  If  we  accept  these  definitions  how  can  we 
possibly  avoid  crediting  the  beaver  with  the  power 
of  reasoning?  In  so  much  that  they  do  they 
surely  prove  a  clear  understanding  "of  the  rela- 
tion between  means  and  ends."  Do  they  go  to  all 
the  trouble  of  building  dams,  and  making  great 
canals  without  a  full  realisation  of  what  is  to  be 
gained  by  the  labour?  They  are  not  actually 
doing  anything  which  can  be  said  to  directly  affect 
their  welfare,  but  something  which  when  completed 
will  reduce  their  labours  and  enable  them  to  carry 
on  certain  undertakings  with  the  least  possible  effort 
and  the  best  possible  results.  It  seems  to  prove  that 
they  think  ahead  and  make  their  plans  accordingly. 
When  man  builds  a  bridge  across  a  river  he  does 
so  simply  to  enable  him  to  have  access  to  the  two 
sides  with  the  least  effort.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
his  existence  any  more  than  are  the  canals  which 
intersect  the  country,  so  that  produce  may  be 
carried  from  place  to  place  with  the  greatest  ease. 
He  is  doing  exactly  what  the  beaver  does,  and  yet 
no  one  would  venture  to  say  that  we  build  bridges 
and  canals  by  instinct.  We  say  that  we  have 
thought  the  matter  out  very  carefully,  and  have  acted 
according  to  reason,  while  the  poor  beaver,  which 
does  what  are  practically  the  same  things  on  even 

F2 


68        ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

a  greater  scale  when  one  considers  their  size  and 
the  restrictions  due  to  lack  of  implements,  acts 
only  by  instinct.  It  is  indeed  difficult  to  under- 
stand the  discrepancy.  We  might  say  with  some 
reason  that  the  cutting  down  of  trees  is  the  result 
of  instinct,  just  as  an  elephant  reaches  a  branch 
with  his  trunk  and  pulls  it  down  so  that  he  may 
enjoy  eating  the  leaves  which  would  otherwise  be 
out  of  reach,  or  a  rat  eats  his  way  through  an  oat 
bin  in  order  to  get  at  the  contents.  The  results  in 
such  cases  are  obvious,  they  require  no  great 
thought  or  abstract  reasoning,  they  are  the  result 
of  an  immediate  desire  for,  or  need  of,  food,  the 
search  for  which  is  a  primal  instinct  born  in  all 
forms  of  animal  life,  and  manifesting  itself  long 
before  there  can  be  the  slightest  development  of 
reason.  The  young  of  many  birds  are  blind  when 
first  hatched,  yet  they  know  enough  by  inherited 
instinct  to  hold  up  their  heads  and  open  their 
mouths  when  food  is  brought.  So  also  the  sight- 
less young  of  many  animals  have  practically  but 
one  way  of  expressing  consciousness,  which  is  to 
suckle.  So  the  actual  obtaining  of  food  in  an 
obvious  way  is  easily  accounted  for  by  instinct; 
but  when  animals  plan  against  emergencies  which 
are  bound  to  come  some  months  ahead,  or  against 
contingencies  which  may  possibly  come,  they  are 
reasoning  to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree  according  to 
the  methods  employed  for  making  the  necessary 
provisions. 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   69 

In  certain  ways,  the  beaver  is  a  low  order  of 
animal,  if  our  method  of  determining  intelligence 
by  the  convolutions  of  the  brain  is  correct,  yet  he 
contradicts  our  decisions  by  doing  work  which  is 
so  clearly  the  result  of  reasoning  power.  It  is  all 
very  well  to  say  as  Bennett  did  that  "  the  intelli- 
gence of  a  beaver  is  recognised  as  nothing  more 
than  a  remarkable  instinct  exerted  upon  one  par- 
ticular object,  and  upon  that  alone.  In  all  respects, 
except  as  regards  the  skill  with  which  he  constructs 
his  winter  habitation,  and  the  kind  of  combination 
into  which  he  enters  with  his  fellows  for  carrying 
their  common  purpose  into  effect,  his  intelligence  is 
of  the  most  limited  description."  Is  this  altogether 
fair  ?  Are  we  to  judge  an  animal  by  what  he  is  or 
by  what  he  does  ?  I  do  not  know  whether  Mr. 
Bennett  ever  visited  the  beaver  in  their  wild  state 
or  simply  obtained  his  information  from  the  Zoo- 
logical Gardens.  The  former  seems  scarcely  possible 
or  he  would  never  have  stated  the  two  exceptions 
to  the  beavers'  limited  intelligence.  The  mere  fact 
that  animals  work  together  does  not  prove  any 
particular  intelligence.  Many  of  the  lowest  forms 
of  animal  life  do  that.  Neither  is  the  building  of 
the  winter  habitation  a  work  comparable  with 
much  that  the  beaver  does  as  a  proof  of  intelligence. 
It  has  often  been  cited  against  the  beaver  by  those 
wishing  to  prove  the  animal's  mental  inferiority 
that  when  in  captivity  they  do  what  are  apparently 
senseless  things,  such  as  the  cutting  of  chair-legs 


70        ROMANCE   OF   THE    BEAVER 

and  unnecessary  damming  up  of  streams.  There 
may  be  reason  for  these,  as  for  instance,  the 
sharpening  of  the  teeth  by  cutting  the  wood. 
While  in  the  latter  case,  it  may  simply  be  for 
something  to  do.  Do  we  not  do  equally  idiotic 
things  when  time  hangs  heavy  on  our  hands  ? 
Watch  people  sitting  on  a  beach  and  see  what  many 
of  them  do.  But  we  don't  judge  their  intelligence 
by  such  ridiculous  exhibitions.  An  animal  as 
industrious  as  the  beaver  probably  finds  it  difficult 
to  refrain  from  some  sort  of  activity.  It  does  not 
seem  fair  to  judge  any  animal  except  by  the  work 
he  does  and  the  method  of  doing  it,  for  that  is  the 
way  we  judge  ourselves.  The  actual  fact  of  cutting 
down  a  tree  does  not  necessarily,  as  already  stated, 
show  any  very  great  intelligence,  but  the  method 
employed  frequently  does.  Take  for  example, 
the  tree  shown  in  the  photograph.  That  tree 
was  directly  perpendicular,  its  branches  resting 
slightly  against  the  neighbouring  trees.  The  beavers 
cut  round  it  to  a  depth  which  would  certainly  cause 
it  to  fall  if  there  was  the  least  wind.  To  have  cut 
more  deeply  into  it  would  have  been  dangerous,  as 
without  warning  the  tree  would  have  dropped 
straight  down  and  caught  the  beaver's  head  in  all 
probability.  Presumably  the  animal  understood 
this,  judging  from  the  fact  that  he  left  it.  Fortu- 
nately, I  obtained  a  photograph  of  the  tree  only  a 
few  hours  before  it  fell,  a  slight  breeze  having  caused 
it  to  overbalance. 


Ill- 


This  shows  that  second  thoughts  are  best.     To  have  continued  cutting  on  the 
HP1-"'    lower  side  would  have  been  dangerous,  so  that  it  was  abandoned  and 
the  work  re-started  on  the  upper  aud  safer  side.     Note  the  tooth  marks 
on  the  larger  tree,  a  birch,  thirty-two  inches  in  diameter. 


72        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

Another  common  example  of  their  intelligence 
is  shown  by  the  way  in  which  they  will  add  water 
to  a  brook  whose  supply  seems  inadequate  to  their 
needs.  They  will  turn  other  streams  into  the  one 
which  is  failing  them,  by  digging  ditches  to  carry 
the  water, by  even  diverting  an  entire  stream  towards 
their  own,  and  by  tapping  springs  by  means  of 
small  ditches.  Their  comprehension  of  the  entire 
problem  of  water  supply  and  control  is  so  altogether 
wonderful  as  to  be  almost  incredible,  and  even  so 
some  people  claim  that  they  do  not  reason. 

Numberless  incidents  of  a  more  or  less  similar 
nature  could  be  told  to  prove  that  by  the  means 
employed  in  doing  the  work  the  beaver  reasons 
with  the  utmost  clearness,  while  the  results  of  their 
work  justify  us  in  believing  that  they  thoroughly 
appreciate  what  are,  or  should  be,  the  ends. 
Nothing  proves  this  better  than  the  building  of  the 
canals  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made. 
These  artificial  waterways  are  apparently  con- 
structed with  but  one  end  in  view :  the  simplifying 
of  transporting  cuttings  of  wood.  Carrying  and 
pushing  logs  and  branches  on  land,  whether  through 
the  tree-strewn  and  moss-covered  forests,  or  over 
the  hummocky  grass  lands,  is  a  difficult  and  tedious 
task  to  be  avoided  whenever  possible.  But  as  the 
trees  which  are  growing  near  the  pond,  whether 
natural  or  the  result  of  beaver  work,  are  cut  down, 
the  supply  naturally  recedes  further  and  further 
with  each  season.  To  counteract  this  the  beaver 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   73 

enlarge  the  dam,  making  it  both  longer  and  higher, 
so  that  a  greater  area  is  flooded.  There  comes  a 
time,  however,  when  a  limit  is  reached,  either 
through  the  natural  conformation  of  the  land  or 
through  the  beaver's  inability  to  build  a  dam  beyond 
a  certain  height.  They  are  then  confronted  with 
the  problem  of  getting  to  and  from  the  trees,  on 
which  they  depend  for  food,  without  the  necessity 
of  travelling  on  land.  By  a  very  gradual  method, 
which  probably  originated  by  the  enlarging  of  small 
natural  openings  in  the  bank,  the  beaver  worked 
out  the  canal  scheme.  When  this  happened  no 
one  can  say,  as  the  ditches  very  soon  lose  all  trace 
of  their  origin,  but  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  it  has  been  going  on  for  very  many  thousands 
of  years.  Where  conditions  are  favourable  canals 
reach  the  extraordinary  length  of  upwards  of  1,000 
feet.  Of  course,  this  gigantic  work  is  not  all 
done  at  once,  but  gradually,  as  the  supply  of 
food  trees  goes  back  further  and  further  from  the 
pond.  It  might  be  presumed  that  these  canals  are 
only  run  through  level  country,  but  here  is  the 
greatest  evidence  of  the  engineering  ability  of  the 
beaver :  they  build  their  canals  uphill  by  means  of 
weirs  or  dams,  the  distance  between  them  varying 
according  to  the  gradient.  Yet  they  never  work 
uphill  unless  it  is  made  absolutely  necessary  by  the 
contour  of  the  land.  They  avoid  hills  just  as  care- 
fully as  man  does  when  engaged  on  similar  work, 
but  when  confronted  with  an  unavoidable  obstacle 


74        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

in  the  form  of  rising  ground  they  are  not  daunted. 
If  the  canal  is  needed  it  must  be  made,  and  the 
work  is  carried  on  with  the  fullest  appreciation  of 
the  water  problem,  so  far  as  it  concerns  them.  The 
little  dams  which  separate  the  different  levels  are 
simple  affairs,  mostly  made  of  the  material  excavated. 
Their  length  depends  on  the  conditions.  In  flat 
land  none  are  built,  for  they  are  not  needed. 
Where  the  rise  is  very  slight  they  are  only  the 
width  of  the  canal,  increasing  according  to  condi- 
tions, so  that  in  some  places  they  are  six  or  seven 
times  the  width  of  the  ditch.  This  presumably  is 
to  prevent  a  sudden  rush  of  water  which  might 
cause  injury  to  the  entire  system.  The  dams, 
though  quite  simple,  are  strong  enough  to  be  used 
as  passage-ways  ;  the  animals,  swimming  down  the 
canal,  drag  their  burdens  over  the  dams,  which  on 
the  upper  side  are  but  a  few  inches  above  the  level 
of  the  water. 

The  width  of  these  canals  is  usually  about  three 
feet,  with  a  depth  of  from  one  to  three  feet,  seldom 
deeper  except  when  small  pools  are  made  evidently 
with  the  idea  of  providing  a  hiding  place  in  the 
event  of  danger.  Burrows  are  also  made  in  the 
banks  probably  for  the  same  purpose.  Apparently 
every  contingency  is  considered,  and  little  or 
nothing  left  to  chance.  The  direction  of  the  canals 
must  necessarily  be  variable.  Wherever  conditions 
are  favourable  they  are  as  straight  as  though  laid 
out  by  human  engineers,  but  when  there  is  any 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA   75 

advantage  to  be  gained  by  curves  they  make  curves, 
in  other  words  they  follow  the  lines  of  least  resist- 
ance, appreciating  the  fact  that  a  straight  line  is  the 
shortest  distance  between  two  points.  When  the 
canal  leads  from  the  pond  across  more  or  less  level 
ground  to  an  abrupt  hillside  which  is  well- wooded, 
they  are  not  content  with  simply  running  their 
canal  to  this  hill,  but  they  frequently  make  branches 
on  either  side,  these  branches  often  extending 
several  hundred  feet  so  that  the  beaver  are  able  to 
take  their  cuttings  by  way  of  the  canals  with  the 
least  possible  effort.  In  making  the  canals  the 
animals  scoop  out  the  earth  with  their  hands  and 
put  most  of  it  on  the  banks.  If  the  ditch  runs 
parallel  to  the  hill  or  rising  ground,  most  of  the 
earth  is  placed  on  the  lower  bank  so  that  it  will  not 
interfere  with  supply  of  surface  water  on  which 
they  largely  depend  for  keeping  the  canals  suffi- 
ciently deep.  In  the  low  lands  there  is  seldom  any 
difficulty  in  the  matter  of  water,  as  the  seepage 
naturally  finds  its  way  into  the  ditch,  but  in  some 
cases  the  beaver  are  confronted  with  the  scarcity 
of  water  and  they  resort  to  most  ingenious  methods 
for  overcoming  the  difficulty.  They  will  search 
the  immediate  vicinity  for  a  stream  however  small, 
or  a  living  spring.  This  they  will  tap  by  means  of 
a  narrow  ditch  which  leads  the  water  to  the  canal, 
another  example  of  the  animals'  careful  reasoning. 
Besides  these  long  and  ambitious  canals  which 
were,  I  believe,  first  described  by  Morgan,  and 


76        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

which  are  not  very  frequently  found,  there  is  the 
very  common  form  found  in  most  beaver  colonies. 
These  really  can  be  more  properly  termed  water- 
ways than  canals,  as  they  are  in  places  which  are 
already  more  or  less  flooded,  but  which,  owing  to 
the  shallowness  of  the  water,  and  the  numerous 
hummocks,  or  tussocks,  are  scarcely  passable  to  the 
beaver  laden  with  poles  or  branches.  They  there- 
fore cut  a  way  through,  tearing  down  the  obstruc- 
tions, and  excavating  the  mud  until  there  is  a 
sufficient  depth  of  water  to  allow  them  to  travel 
without  difficulty.  Then  another  form  of  canal, 
which  has  already  been  partly  described,  is  the  kind 
which  is  made  in  order  to  ensure  a  short  cut  either 
from  one  pond  to  another  or  across  a  neck  of  land 
formed  by  a  sharp  bend  in  the  stream  or  river,  or 
even  across  a  promontory  running  into  their  pond. 
Apparently  they  consider  it  worth  the  labour,  and 
it  must  be  a  serious  undertaking  to  cut  a  canal  of 
considerable  size  in  order  to  shorten  the  length  of 
their  journeys. 

As  a  rule  the  canal  work  is  done  before  the 
woodcutting  operations  are  in  full  swing,  so  it 
shows  that  they  actually  make  fairly  complete 
preparation  for  what  they  know  lies  before  them 
and  proves  pretty  conclusively  that  the  wood- 
cutting is  not  a  work  undertaken  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment.  Everything  points  toward  such  a  conclu- 
sion, the  selection  of  a  place  where  suitable  wood 
is  abundant,  the  building  of  the  dams,  and  finally, 


THE  BEAVERS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA    77 

the  making  of  canals  and  roadways.  Nothing 
seems  to  be  lacking  in  the  chain  of  evidence. 
And  the  animal  that  does  all  this  wonderful 
work  and  exhibits  such  extraordinary  intelligence, 
what  is  it  like  ?  An  inconspicuous  creature  which 
resembles  something  between  a  large  rat  and  a 
squirrel,  weighing  up  to  sixty-five  or  seventy 
pounds,  about  forty-five  inches  long  when  fully 
grown.  The  tail  is  thick,  flat  and  closely-covered 
on  both  sides  with  small  modified  scales.  The  ears 
are  short,  dark  and  round  covered  with  incon- 
spicuous short  hair,  the  front  teeth  are  long, 
curved  and  extremely  sharp  and  strong.  The  body 
is  covered  with  thick  fur  and  hair  of  a  general  dark 
brown  running  into  chestnut  and  greys.  The  legs 
are  short  and  the  front  feet  are  small  and  more 
like  hands,  while  the  hind  ones  are  long,  broad, 
and  completely  webbed,  thoroughly  adapted  to  the 
animals'  aquatic  habits.  This  gives  a  general  idea 
of  the  beavers'  appearance,  a  fuller  description  of 
which  will  be  found  in  another  chapter.  In 
swimming  only  the  hind  feet  are  used,  the  great 
spread  of  which  enables  the  animal  to  maintain  a 
surprising  speed  whether  at  the  surface,  or  below 
water,  where  it  can  stay  for  eight  or  nine  minutes 
without  fresh  air.  The  tail  is  employed  to  a  very 
limited  extent,  its  principal  use  being  as  a  rudder. 
I  have  never  been  able  to  make  absolutely  sure 
that  it  is  employed  as  a  propeller,  though  I  have 
watched  beaver  swimming  on  every  available 


78        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

occasion.  What  appears  to  happen  is  that  the  tail 
is  used  in  starting,  to  give  the  first  impetus  by 
means  of  several  quick  side  strokes,  after  which 
under  ordinary  conditions  it  does  not  seem  to 
move.  When  a  sudden  burst  of  speed  is  required 
the  tail  again  comes  into  play,  but  only  with  a  few 
strokes  so  far  as  I  could  judge. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY 

IN  the  foregoing  pages,  the  work  done  by  the 
beaver  has  been  described  with  more  or  less 
thoroughness.  It  has  perhaps  proved  dull  reading, 
but  seemed  necessary  in  order  that  the  habits  of 
the  animal  should  be  more  fully  understood,  and 
his  tasks  more  completely  appreciated.  We  shall 
now  see  something  of  the  life  of  these  busy 
creatures,  and  the  best  way  will  be  to  follow  them 
through  several  consecutive  years,  seeing  how  they 
live,  and  plan,  and  work  together. 

We  will  imagine  that  it  is  spring,  the  dreary, 
monotonous  winter  has  passed.  The  sun  is  warm- 
ing the  earth  and  awakening  the  plant  world  to 
life  and  activity,  the  rich  mosses  of  the  northern 
woods  are  becoming  more  green  and  beautiful,  and 
the  flowers  are  unfolding  their  petals  to  brighten 
the  country  and  tempt  the  drowsy  insects  from 
their  long  sleep.  Everywhere  the  creamy  white 
flowers  of  the  bunchberry  are  strewn  like  snow  over 
the  woodland  ground.  Everything  is  awake  and 
happy.  The  beaver  who  have  no  young  are  leaving 
their  dark  lodges,  and  seeking  summer  quarters, 
for  before  them  lies  a  season  of  ease  and  happiness 
and  good  living. 


Diagram  of  beavers'  pond  described  on  the  following  page. 


The  streams  shown  in  dotted  line  were  dammed  at  A  and  B  ;  as  the 
water  rose  it  formed  two  other  outlets,  C  and  D.  At  these  points 
additional  dams  were  put.  Later,  to  reinforce  the  principal  structure, 
supporting  or  subsidiary  dams,  E,  F,  G  and  H,  were  built.  On  the 
island,  I,  formed  by  the  rising  water  was  the  first  lodge.  On  the 
west  side  are  the  roads,  J,  to  the  birch  and  maple  trees.  To  the  north- 
east is  a  canal,  K,  built  in  order  that  the  beavers  might  have  access 
to  the  grove  of  aspens,  which  was  situated  on  rising  ground  and 
necessitated  making  the  canal  with  three  dams  to  hold  the  water  at 
the  different  levels.  Toward  the  end  of  the  east  wing  of  the  canal  is 
a  straight  line,  L,  indicating  the  small  aqueduct  or  ditch  cut  by  the 
beavers  in  order  that  water  might  be  diverted  from  the  streamlet  to 
ensure  an  ample  supply  for  the  canal.  Other  small  canals,  M,  are  for 
the  purpose  of  making  short  cuts  when  transporting  food  supplies. 
The  upper  pond,  N,  was  made  by  the  second  pair  of  beavers,  who  had 
been  driven  from  their  own  home  by  fire.  The  dam  forming  this  pond 
is  O,  with  subsidiaries  P,  Q,.  The  lodge,  E,  on  a  point  of  land  which 
has  been  formed  into  an  island  by  cutting  a  ditch.  The  second  lodge, 
S,  was  built  by  one  of  the  young  from  the  first  lodge. 


B.B. 


82        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

Let  us  choose  an  imaginary  beaver,  a  young 
male,  and  follow  him  on  what  presumably  would 
be  his  life.  He  is  two  years  old  and  he  has  his 
way  to  make  in  the  beaver  world.  No  longer  may 
he  remain  beneath  the  parental  roof,  for  that  is 
taxed  to  the  limit  of  its  capacity,  and  as  his 
brothers  and  sisters  have  had  to  go  off  into  the 
wilds  to  shift  for  themselves,  so  also  must  he. 
Two  summers  ago  he  was  a  mere  kitten,  dependent 
on  his  parents,  too  small  to  work,  and  without 
much  knowledge.  But  the  time  has  not  been 
wasted.  He  has  seen  what  work  is  required  by 
those  who  would  thrive,  and  he  has  helped  in  all 
the  various  labours.  He  has  seen  how  dams  should 
be  built,  trees  felled,  lodges  made  and  repaired. 
He  has,  in  fact,  served  his  apprenticeship,  and  is 
now  but  little  below  full  size,  while  his  strength  is 
equal  to  any  demands  that  may  be  made  upon  it. 
But  he  is  alone,  and  therefore  incomplete.  A 
helpmate  is  necessary  if  he  would  live  up  to  the 
traditions  of  the  race  and  found  a  colony,  so  he 
starts  off  from  the  pond  which  for  two  years  has 
been  his  home,  his  playground  and  the  scene  of  his 
labour.  At  first  it  is  lonely  work  exploring  new 
country,  following  one  stream  after  another.  One 
day  he  comes  to  a  pond  held  captive  by  a  large 
dam  and  he  enters  it,  and  swims  toward  a  lodge 
which  is  on  a  small  island.  There  is  no  one  at 
home,  or  sign  of  any  of  his  kind  about.  In  vain 
he  examines  the  shores  for  indications.  The 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY  83 

builders  of  the  dam  are  gone,  and  the  wood  pile 
near  the  house  tells  the  sad  story.  It  has  scarcely 
been  touched  since  with  infinite  labour  the  little 
colonists  had  collected  it  for  their  winter  food ; 
the  winter  they  would  never  know,  for  the  steel 
trap  had  come  to  those  peaceful  woods,  and  had 
accomplished  its  deadly  work.  Silently  each  night 
by  the  side  of  the  dam  had  it  closed  its  relentless 
jaws  on  the  beaver  that  had  come  to  repair  the 
unexplained  break  in  the  well-built  structure. 
Each  night  saw  the  colony  dwindle  in  numbers, 
until  of  the  nine,  old  and  young,  but  one  remained, 
too  frightened  to  venture  out  by  day  or  by  night, 
for  fear  of  meeting  the  fate  of  the  other  members 
of  the  family  whose  death  she  had  several  times 
witnessed.  She  had  been  powerless  to  assist.  She 
had  seen  her  father  and  mother,  her  brothers  and 
sisters  suddenly  clutched  by  the  foot  and  dragged 
under  water.  She  had  dived  down  to  see  what  it 
meant,  and  had  seen  them  struggling  at  the  bottom, 
trying  in  vain  to  break  free  from  the  iron  thing 
and  the  heavy  chain  which  had  slid  down  the 
inclined  pole.  A  few  frantic  efforts  and  the  end 
came.  No  more  bubbles  rose  to  the  surface,  all 
was  quiet  again  and  there  was  one  less  beaver  in 
the  world.  Not  understanding  the  constant  repeti- 
tion of  the  tragedy,  she  was  simply  seized  with 
fear,  and  she  kept  away  from  the  place  which 
seemed  to  be  the  cause  of  so  much  misery.  Even 
when  she  saw,  by  the  lowering  of  the  water  in  the 

G2 


84        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

burrow  entrances,  that  the  pond  was  going  down, 
she  still  stayed  at  home,  going  out  only  under 
water  to  the  wood  pile  and  quickly  returning  to 
the  lodge  with  a  small  twig  for  her  meal. 

So  she  continued  to  live  throughout  the  winter, 
escaping  immediately  the  ice  melted,  and  making 
her  way  among  the  patches  of  snow  through  the 
woods,  but  always  following  the  course  of  the 
stream  on  which  the  pond  had  been  made.  She 
travelled  slowly,  sleeping  during  the  day  in  holes  in 
the  banks.  On  her  way  she  left  signs  here  and  there 
on  conspicuous  points  of  land.  Small  pieces  of  mud 
patted  down  and  scented  slightly  with  castoreum. 
Who  shall  explain  her  reason  for  doing  this  ? 
Presumably  it  was  meant  as  a  means  of  communi- 
cation with  any  other  of  her  kind.  If  so  it  served 
its  purpose,  for  the  young  male  on  finding  the  pond 
unoccupied,  felt  instinctively  that  there  must  be 
good  reason  for  keeping  clear  of  such  an  ill-omened 
place,  and  he  slowly  proceeded  on  his  journey 
along  the  stream.  For  several  days  he  continued 
on  his  leisurely  way.  At  first  there  was  no  reason 
to  hurry,  but  finally  he  came  to  one  of  the  scented 
mud  pats  and  became  intensely  interested.  From 
it  he  learned  that  he  was  not  alone.  What  more 
information  he  gathered  from  the  inconspicuous 
pile  of  mud  no  one  knows.  But  he  too  collected  a 
small  lump  of  mud  and  deposited  it  on  the  one  he 
had  found.  Things  looked  different  now.  No 
longer  did  he  dawdle  along.  He  even  threw 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    85 

caution  to  the  winds  and  travelled  by  day, 
frequently  finding  fresher  and  fresher  mud  pats, 
until  at  last  he  overtook  the  maker  of  them.  They 
met  at  night  and  beyond  rubbing  noses  there  was 
no  formal  introduction.  They  were  both  lonely 
and  what  more  natural  than  that  they  should  join 
forces  to  start  out  in  life  and  travel  together  ?  The 
sealing  of  the  life  compact,  which  is  seldom  if  ever 
broken  by  the  beavers,  was  done  without  fuss  or 
ceremony  and  was  witnessed  only  by  the  moonlit 
trees. 

The  next  question  was  where  they  should  go  ? 
Not  back  to  the  deserted  pond,  for  even  though  it 
would  have  meant  a  great  saving  of  work,  the  fact 
that  it  was  known  to  men  made  it  a  dangerous 
place  to  live.  Far  better  would  it  be  to  find  some 
quiet  stream  which  was  free  from  all  taint  of  their 
persistent  enemy.  The  whole  of  Northern  Canada 
lay  before  them,  but  they  were  slow  travellers, 
their  short  legs  prevented  long  marches.  They 
dared  not  go  far  by  land,  it  would  be  too  dangerous, 
as  they  had  no  means  of  defence,  and  could  not 
escape  by  running  away  from  even  the  slowest  of 
their  enemies.  In  the  water  alone  had  they  any 
chance  of  safety.  There  they  were  in  their  element, 
and  nothing  could  touch  them  save  the  "  fire  stick  " 
which  belched  forth  its  tiny,  deadly  missiles,  and 
killed  at  such  great  distances.  And  so  they 
followed  the  stream  until  it  brought  them  to  a  large 
lake.  For  some  weeks  they  stayed  there,  roaming 


86        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

about  as  the  fancy  seized  them.  The  place  offered 
great  attractions  to  the  house-hunting  couple,  and 
they  were  half  inclined  to  settle  there.  They  even 
went  so  far  as  to  commence  building  a  lodge  on  a 
small  wooded  point  which  jutted  out  into  the  water. 
The  two  outlets  to  the  lake  they  saw  could  be  easily 
dammed  if  necessary,  so  everything,  including 
an  unlimited  supply  of  wood,  suggested  the 
advisability  of  making  this  their  home.  But  one 
evening  just  as  they  had  come  out  of  a  burrow  near 
the  foundations  of  their  lodge,  they  were  startled  by 
a  strange  sound,  human  voices  laughing  and  talking. 
Soon  two  queer  objects  came  around  the  point  of 
land,  and  the  beavers  saw  two  canoes  ;  the  graceful 
lines  of  the  dark  green  canvas -covered  craft  did  not 
appeal  to  them.  What  could  they  be  ?  No  such 
animals  had  they  seen  in  all  their  travels,  and  so 
they  lay  immovable  on  the  surface  of  the  quiet 
water,  and  watched  the  canoes  as  they  glided  along. 
Closer  and  closer  they  came,  when  suddenly  the  air 
was  tainted  with  the  fearsome  scent  of  man,  that 
which  above  all  things  was  most  to  be  dreaded. 
Instinctively  both  of  the  silent  watchers  raised  their 
tails  and  struck  the  water  with  a  resounding  smack 
which  scattered  the  water  high  in  the  air,  so  that 
the  countless  drops  reflecting  the  glorious  colours 
of  the  setting  sun  resembled  a  golden  shower.  The 
beavers  vanished  beneath  the  disturbed  water  and 
sought  safety  in  the  dense  tangle  of  brush  with 
which  the  shore  was  lined,  while  the  people  in  the 


Birch  tree  paitly  cut  through  by  beaver. 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    87 

canoe  so  suddenly  startled  by  the  noisy  alarm 
signal  stopped,  surprised  to  hear  from  the  guides 
that  the  terrific  sound  was  made  by  beaver. 

The  party  decided  to  camp  near  the  place  on 
chance  of  seeing  something  of  the  animals  about 
which  they  had  frequently  heard  so  many  remark- 
able stories.  The  guides,  both  of  them  being 
trappers,  made  notes  for  future  use.  Yes,  they 
would  come  back  in  the  proper  season  and  get  a  few 
beaver  skins  from  that  lake.  But  the  beavers 
thought  differently.  Their  one  idea  now  was  to 
escape  as  rapidly  as  possible  from  a  place  which  had 
proved  to  be  known  to  man,  and  that  night,  while 
the  camp  fires  crackled  in  front  of  the  tents,  and  the 
sparks  drifted  lazily  upward  through  the  dark  tree- 
tops  to  be  lost  among  the  countless  stars,  the 
beaver  left  their  shelter,  and  under  the  cover  of  the 
kindly  starlight  made  their  way  to  the  further  end 
of  the  lake,  where  the  outlet  stream  ran  down 
through  the  woods.  Along  this  rocky  waterway 
they  travelled,  no  word  spoken,  yet  each  filled  with 
the  one  idea  of  putting  as  great  a  distance  as 
possible  between  themselves  and  the  human  beings. 
For  a  mile  or  two  they  followed  this  stream  without 
finding  anything  but  rocks  and  steep  banks. 
Occasionally  they  stopped  to  nibble  some  particu- 
larly enticing  twig,  or  to  listen  cautiously  for  the 
possible  approach  of  an  enemy,  but  the  woods  were 
wrapped  in  the  stillness  of  night  and  almost  the 
only  sounds  were  the  murmuring  of  the  brook  as  it 


88        ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

glided  among  the  moss-covered  stone,  purring  as  it 
went,  and  far  away  the  hollow  who-who-who-whoo 
of  the  owl.  Once  they  got  the  tell-tale  scent  of  a 
silent-footed  lynx,  so  they  hid  in  the  water  for  over 
an  hour,  till  the  air  was  cleared  of  the  invisible 
warning. 

Very  early  in  the  morning,  when  the  sky  was 
changing  from  the  mysterious  colour  of  night  to  the 
rosy  hue  which  precedes  the  coming  day.  the  beaver 
came  to  a  little  valley  through  which  the  stream 
flowed  in  a  leisurely  way.  A  tangle  of  alders 
marked  a  bog  on  one  side  and  indicated  the 
presence  of  a  spring.  On  either  side  of  the  valley 
the  sloping  hills  were  well  wooded  with  birches, 
poplars  and  maples,  interspersed  with  spruces  and 
pines.  A  little  further  along  the  stream  divided 
into  two  branches,  each  finding  its  way  from  a 
different  valley.  The  place  attracted  the  beaver, 
but  it  was  too  near  day  for  them  to  risk  a  careful 
and  thorough  investigation,  so  after  making  a  hasty 
breakfast  of  roots  and  bark  they  sought  the 
seclusion  of  an  over-hanging  bank  where  they  could 
sleep  comfortably  and  yet  be  near  enough  to  the 
water  to  escape  immediately  if  danger  threatened. 

The  day  passed  slowly  and  no  sooner  had  the 
setting  sun  thrown  the  shadows  of  the  tree-covered 
hill  across  the  grassy  valley,  than  the  beavers  came 
out  to  examine  the  surroundings,  and  see  whether 
conditions  were  favourable  for  making  a  home. 
Apparently,  everything  was  to  their  satisfaction. 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    89 

There  were  excellent  sites  for  the  two  dams  which 
would  be  necessary.  Food  was  abundant,  and  from 
the  appearance  of  the  stream,  they  could  count  on 
an  ample  supply  of  water.  They  did  not  know 
that  many  years  ago  a  small  colony  of  beavers  had 
lived  there  for  several  years,  until  a  trapper  had 
discovered  their  home  and  caught  them  all.  That 
accounted  for  the  grassy  flat  and  for  the  division  of 
the  stream.  In  the  many  years  which  had  passed 
since  that  tragedy  the  trees  had  grown  again. 

As  it  was  too  early  in  the  year  to  attempt  much 
work  the  prospective  house-builders  contented 
themselves  with  making  a  deep  burrow  in  the  bank, 
with  the  two  entrances  well  under  water.  There 
they  lived  for  several  weeks,  when  the  stream  began 
to  dwindle  in  size  as  the  hot  weather  dried  up  many 
of  the  smaller  tributaries.  Then  it  was  advisable  to 
commence  work  on  the  dams,  and  with  this  object 
in  view  they  cut  a  number  of  alders  and  laid  them 
lengthways  with  the  banks  and  across  the  shallow 
stream.  More  and  more  were  added,  with  clumps 
of  sod  and  mud  worked  in  on  the  upper  side,  so  that 
the  flow  of  water  was  retarded.  At  the  end  of  a 
week,  a  small  pond  began  to  form.  This  grew 
larger  as  the  dams  were  made  more  solid.  At  first 
the  large  one  was  not  more  than  twenty-five  feet 
in  length,  but  the  engineers  decided  that  if  they 
wanted  a  pond  of  sufficient  size  the  length  must 
be  extended,  and  so  they  built  on  to  the  struc- 
tures until  they  were  nearly  doubled  in  size,  and 


90        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

the  pond  increased  correspondingly.  With  the 
deepening  of  the  water,  the  beaver  found  their 
burrows  were  no  longer  dry,  so  they  decided  that 
it  was  time  to  commence  building  a  lodge. 
Summer  was  now  at  its  height,  and  autumn  would 
be  upon  them  soon  after  the  next  moon.  So  even 
though  it  was  full  early,  they  chose  the  site  for  the 
new  house.  The  place  decided  on  was  a  small 
alder-covered  knoll  which  the  rising  water  had 
surrounded  and  made  into  an  island.  It  was  close 
to  a  spring,  which  was  of  great  advantage.  The 
earth  being  fairly  soft  a  burrow  was  easily  made. 
It  started  under  water  and  ended  in  the  centre  of 
the  islet.  All  roots  were  cut  off  and  the  tunnel 
made  quite  smooth,  with  a  diameter  of  about 
thirteen  inches.  Very  few  of  the  growing  alders 
were  cut,  as  for  the  present  they  would  be  of  service 
in  supporting  the  building.  Later  they  could  be 
cut  if  necessary. 

These  were  busy  nights  for  the  little  builders. 
Sticks  of  various  sizes  had  to  be  cut  and  hauled  up 
on  the  knoll ;  some  of  the  wood  they  collected  from 
among  the  dead  branches  which  had  been  floated 
by  the  rising  water,  others  they  cut  and  from  these 
they  often  eat  the  bark.  This  reduced  the  amount 
of  work  necessary,  as  the  cuttings  thus  served  two 
purposes.  No  big  trees  were  cut  at  this  time,  that 
would  come  later.  Among  the  network  of  sticks 
they  placed  great  quantities  of  fibrous  mud  and  sod, 
which  was  torn  from  the  bottom  of  the  stream  close 


I.I 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    91 

to  their  island.  That  again  served  a  two-fold 
purpose  ;  it  made  a  deep  place  close  to  the  house 
in  which  the  winter  food  could  be  stored  well  below 
ice,  and  was  the  best  of  building  material.  The 
mud  packed  well  among  the  woodwork,  and  the 
roots  held  it  together  and  helped  to  prevent 
cracking.  All  this  work  was  done  with  their  hands, 
the  clumps  of  sod  being  carried  in  their  arms 
against  the  chin,  and  forced  into  position  with  the 
hands  and  nose.  They  did  not  follow  the  story- 
book method  of  patting  it  down  with  their  tails. 
Very  little  mud  was  used  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge, 
as  that  was  the  ventilating  flue. 

The  woodwork  was  laid  apparently  in  a  very 
haphazard  way,  but  always  with  the  idea  of  making 
a  rounded  dome  of  tangled  material  which  could 
not  easily  be  torn  apart.  With  surprising  speed 
this  grew,  and  within  two  weeks  it  had  reached  a 
height  of  over  three  feet  and  a  maximum  circum- 
ference at  the  base  of  about  twenty  feet.  The 
inside  in  the  meantime  had  been  cut  out  over  the 
land  entrance  of  the  tunnel,  leaving  a  domed  cavity 
twenty-three  inches  high  and  four  feet  across.  Even 
in  its  rough  condition,  the  lodge  was  quite  suitable 
for  a  summer  home,  but  as  a  precautionary  measure, 
a  second  tunnel  was  made  to  enable  the  inmates  to 
escape  rapidly  in  case  of  emergency,  and  they  never 
could  tell  at  what  moment  an  otter  might  make  his 
way  in.  They  are  unwelcome  visitors  and  are  so 
quick  and  strong  that  the  beavers,  notwithstanding 


92        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

their  powerful  teeth,  are  usually  unable  to  cope  with 
them.  In  water  they  are  the  only  four-footed 
enemy  that  beavers  dread.  On  land  everything  is 
different,  for  apparently  the  land  is  not  their  natural 
habitat. 

Toward  the  end  of  August,  the  beavers  were 
very  comfortably  settled,  their  pond  was  fully  two 
hundred  yards  long  and  seventy  or  eighty  wide. 
The  supply  of  water  brought  down  by  the  brook 
was  sufficient  for  their  needs,  and  they  were  engaged 
in  cutting  passages  through  the  partly  submerged 
grassy  tussocks  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  the 
wooded  shores  with  greater  ease.  Everything 
promised  well  when  a  prolonged  spell  of  rain  caused 
them  great  anxiety.  The  stream  increased  its 
volume  until  it  was  a  raging  torrent  which  swept 
all  before  it,  clearing  the  banks  of  any  debris  that 
had  been  deposited  by  the  spring  floods.  The  dams, 
whose  crests  were  many  inches  under  the  water, 
were  threatened  with  complete  destruction.  Some- 
thing must  be  done,  and  done  soon,  and  the  beavers 
did  the  only  thing  possible  under  the  conditions. 
They  tore  open  a  great  gap  in  the  larger  structure. 
It  was  a  dangerous  task,  for  the  pressure  of  the 
water  was  terrific.  However,  by  working  carefully 
they  succeeded  in  liberating  an  immense  volume  of 
water  and  so  saved  the  dams.  These  were  again 
repaired  as  soon  as  the  flood  subsided,  when  the 
entire  work  was  not  only  strengthened  but  increased 
to  a  still  greater  height,  so  that  it  was  nearly  five 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY  93 

feet  at  the  highest  point.  This  necessitated  a  still 
further  increase  in  length,  with  corresponding 
increase  in  the  size  and  depth  of  the  pond.  For- 
tunately their  lodge  had  not  been  seriously  injured 
by  the  unexpected  rise  of  water.  The  floor,  it  is 
true,  had  been  submerged,  which  was  quite  natural, 
as  it  had  been  only  four  inches  above  the  normal 
water  level.  One  thing  leads  to  another,  and  the 
additional  work  on  the  dam  meant  that  the  floor  of 
the  lodge  must  also  be  raised,  so  they  cut  away  part 
of  the  ceiling  and  used  the  material  thus  obtained 
for  the  flooring.  This  in  turn  meant  putting  still 
more  material  on  the  outside  of  the  house,  as  the 
thickness  of  the  walls  needed  to  be  not  less  than 
three  feet  and  the  roofing  a  foot  and  a  half,  without 
the  final  coating  of  mud. 

September  with  its  cool  clear  days  was  in  its  last 
quarter  by  the  time  the  young  couple  had  every- 
thing in  order.  The  white  frosts  at  night  warned 
them  of  the  approaching  cold  season  for  which  full 
preparation  must  be  made  if  they  expected  to  live 
in  comfort.  Most  important  of  all  the  tasks  was 
the  food  supply.  So  they  made  a  tour  of  investiga- 
tion among  the  trees  to  see  that  they  were  in  proper 
condition  for  being  stored.  Several  small  birches 
were  examined  and  partly  cut  in  order  that  they 
should  dry  thoroughly  before  being  felled.  They 
dry  better  and  more  rapidly  while  standing,  so 
after  the  beaver  had  girdled  them  they  went  off 
to  a  small  aspen  grove  and  commenced  serious 


94        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

harvesting.  The  trees  were  nearly  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  edge  of  the  pond  on  the  further  side  of  a 
piece  of  boggy  thicket.  So  before  any  wood  could 
be  brought  to  the  water  a  road  way  had  to  be  made. 
Part  of  this  was  really  a  canal  which  was  cut  straight 
through  the  swamp  and  from  which  all  obstructions 
were  carefully  removed.  When  finished  it  was 
about  three  feet  in  width  and  a  little  over  a  foot 
deep.  On  shore  the  path  was  rather  wider,  and  led 
directly  from  the  end  of  the  canal,  to  the  centre  of 
the  grove  where  it  forked  so  that  three  different 
paths  gave  access  to  the  field  of  operations.  This 
accomplished,  the  beaver  began  felling  the  trees. 
As  each  one  dropped,  and  it  took  but  an  hour  or  so 
to  bring  down  a  tree  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter, 
all  the  branches  were  neatly  cut  off  close  to  the 
trunk ;  these  were  carried  down  the  road  to  the 
canal,  the  smaller  ones  being  held,  butt  foremost, 
with  the  teeth,  while  the  beaver  either  walked  on 
all  fours  or  only  on  his  hind  legs  with  the  tail  used 
as  a  balance.  Some  branches  which  were  extra 
large  were  dragged  along  as  the  animal  walked 
backwards  until  he  reached  the  canal.  From  that 
point  the  work  of  transporting  the  wood  became 
easier  and  he  swam,  leading  the  floating  load  with 
his  teeth.  In  this  way  he  proceeded  through  the 
canal  then  across  the  pond  to  the  lodge  near  which 
they  had  decided  to  place  the  wood-pile.  Some- 
times, instead  of  immediately  diving  and  taking  the 
cutting  to  the  bottom  they  would  leave  it  floating 


I 


•s 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY  95 

close  to  the  lodge,  perhaps  with  the  idea  of  allowing 
it  to  become  water-soaked,  so  that  it  could  the  more 
easily  be  taken  down.  The  journeys  were  quickly 
made,  and  little  or  no  time  lost,  except  when 
occasionally,  on  the  return  trip,  they  would  stop 
and  take  a  short  feed. 

The  trunks  of  the  aspens  were  cut  into  con- 
venient lengths  varying  from  two  to  eight  or  ten 
feet,  according  to  the  thickness.  The  shorter  pieces 
were  rolled  or  pushed  down  the  path,  the  longer 
ones  pulled,  sometimes  both  animals  working 
together  if  the  log  happened  to  be  unduly  heavy, 
using  not  only  their  hands  and  chests,  but  also 
their  hips.  The  entire  operations  proceeded 
smoothly  and  with  perfect  system  and  in  absolute 
silence.  Nothing  was  wasted  and  everything  was 
as  tidy  and  orderly  as  possible.  Interruptions 
occurred  at  times  when  suspicious  scents  tainted 
the  air  and  caused  them  to  suspect  the  proximity 
of  a  foe.  They  would  then  scuttle  off  quietly  to 
the  water  and  stay  there  so  long  as  there  was  any 
cause  for  alarm.  Sometimes  they  dared  not 
approach  the  aspens  for  an  entire  night,  owing  to 
the  presence  of  wolves,  foxes,  or  other  predatory 
creatures  who  consider  beaver  meat  quite  a  luxury. 
On  these  occasions  they  did  not  avail  themselves 
of  the  excuse  to  stop  all  work,  for  there  was  plenty 
to  be  done.  The  dam  could  always  take  a  little 
more  mud  on  the  facing  or  more  brush  and  logs 
on  the  lower  side,  and  the  building  of  secondary 


96        ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

or  supporting  dams  had  to  be  considered.  Who 
could  tell  but  that  the  main  structures  might  at 
any  moment  give  way  under  the  pressure  of  water, 
or  the  still  greater  pressure  of  broken  ice,  that 
enemy  to  all  dams  in  the  northern  countries, 
whether  built  by  man  or  beaver  ?  Strong  indeed 
must  be  the  structure  that  will  withstand  its 
onslaught,  when  borne  by  the  spring  floods  it 
hurls  itself  at  every  obstacle.  Well-built  bridges 
are  smashed  like  matchwood,  great  trees  are 
uprooted,  banks  are  torn  down,  and  ponderous 
boulders  are  swept  before  it,  as  creaking  and 
groaning  it  grinds  and  forces  its  impetuous  way 
in  the  company  of  the  raging  streams.  The 
beaver,  knowing  the  possibility  of  such  an  on- 
slaught against  their  dams,  whether  by  experience, 
instinct  or  reason,  finally  decided  to  erect  smaller 
dams  below  the  main  structures.  Owing  to  the 
narrowing  of  the  gully  it  was  only  necessary  that 
these  dams  should  be  very  short,  one  near  the 
larger  outlet  being  twenty-five  feet  long  the  other 
fifteen,  but  as  the  ground  sloped  suddenly  they 
had  to  be  fairly  high  in  proportion  to  their  length. 
The  work  was  carried  on  regularly  and  without 
difficulty,  as  there  was  very  little  water  passing 
down  the  stream  and  building  material  was  every- 
where abundant. 

Autumn  stole  upon  the  beavers  while  they  were 
engaged  on  their  many  tasks.  The  days  shortened, 
so  that  the  increasing  length  of  the  nights  gave 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    97 

them  more  working  hours.  The  nights,  too,  were 
much  colder,  and  the  trees  took  on  their  wonderful 
clothing  of  scarlets  and  yellows.  Those  persons 
who  have  lived  all  their  lives  in  the  sombre  east 
can  have  no  idea  of  the  glories  of  the  western 
colouring.  No  pigment  is  richer  or  more  brilliant 
than  the  leaves  of  these  northern  trees.  The 
intense  yellows  of  the  birches  and  aspens,  the 
scarlets,  crimsons  and  oranges  of  the  maples,  and 
the  endless  array  of  purples  and  reds  of  the  shrubs 
combine  to  make  these  woods  a  feast  for  the  eye, 
beautiful  beyond  all  power  of  description.  It  is 
the  signal  of  the  fall  of  the  year,  the  advance  guard 
of  the  long  season  of  rest,  silence  and  hardship, 
when  the  inhabitants  of  the  wilds  are  hard  pressed 
for  food  and  the  weakling  and  the  improvident 
succumb  under  the  great  test  of  fitness.  The 
survival  of  the  fittest  is  the  inexorable,  pitiless  law 
of  nature  which  demands  of  her  offspring  perfection 
in  power  and  resource.  Those  who  are  unable  to 
battle  against  the  frightful  odds  fall  out  of  the 
ranks  and  are  quickly  forgotten  by  the  survivors, 
the  winners  in  the  great  race. 

With  the  falling  of  the  leaves  the  maples  and 
birches  which  had  been  girdled  or  marked  by  the 
beaver  a  week  or  two  earlier  became  ready  for 
cutting,  so  the  busy  animals  attacked  them  with 
their  customary  vigour  and  determination.  It  was 
not  like  felling  the  soft  aspens,  through  whose 
tender  wood  their  teeth  bit  with  but  slight  oppo- 

R.B.  H 


98        ROMANCE   OF   THE    BEAVER 

sition.  These  hard  trees  demanded  far  greater 
effort,  but  the  keen-edged  teeth  tore  out  the  great 
chips,  and  each  night  saw  the  fall  of  at  least  one 
silvery  birch  or  grey-coated  maple,  and  the  pile 
of  winter  wood  grew  larger  and  larger  till  it 
covered  an  area  of  full  eighteen  feet  in  diameter 
and  five  feet  in  depth.  It  was  hard  work, 
but  it  did  not  daunt  the  provident  creatures, 
who  knew  well  enough  that  on  the  fruits  of  their 
autumn  labour  must  they  depend  for  nearly  half 
a  year,  so  the  harvest  was  gathered  without 
murmur  or  complaint.  Colder  and  still  colder 
were  the  nights,  and  by  the  end  of  October  ice 
formed  around  the  margin  of  the  pond  and 
wherever  the  water  was  sheltered ;  quite  often 
after  dragging  the  cut  branches  down  over  the 
carpet  of  crimson  and  gold  leaves  with  which  the 
ground  was  covered  the  beavers  had  to  break  a 
way  through  sharp-edged  ice,  and  it  warned  them 
that  it  was  time  they  should  attend  to  the  outside 
plastering  of  the  house.  This  was  a  simple  enough 
job,  but  still  it  must  be  properly  done.  Not  too 
much  mud  should  be  put  on  at  one  time,  but  layer 
after  layer,  pressed  in  firmly  among  the  woodwork. 
As  each  coating  contracted  under  the  influence  of 
the  frost  another  coat  was  applied,  so  that  gradually 
the  lodge  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  great  mud 
heap,  which,  as  it  froze,  became  stronger  on  the 
outside  and  warmer  in  the  cosy  interior.  At  odd 
times  during  this  season  they  collected  bedding 


Lodge  buiit  among  alders. 


The  ordinary  type  of  dam  found  in  a  fairly  flat  district  (Newfoundland). 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    99 

material.  A  little  grass  was  cut  and  carried  in, 
but  grass  gets  wet  and  soggy  and  is  not  really 
a  serviceable  substance.  Finely-shredded  wood  is 
better.  So  they  cut  down  a  cedar,  which  is  the 
best  of  all  trees  for  the  purpose,  and  taking  it 
piece  by  piece  into  the  lodge  tore  it  into  fine 
shreds  and  made  a  deep  bed,  which  was  sanitary 
as  well  as  comfortable.  Of  course  certain  parasites 
would  make  their  home  in  it  and  cause  the  beaver 
great  annoyance,  but  that  could  not  be  avoided. 
All  they  could  do  would  be  to  use  the  curious 
split  second  toe-nail  of  their  hind  feet  as  a  comb 
with  which  to  make  their  daily  toilet  and  dislodge 
the  intruders. 

As  the  home  was  nearing  completion  the  beavers 
took  in  a  pair  of  muskrats  as  uninvited  tenants — 
for,  curiously  enough,  muskrats  nearly  always 
make  a  winter  home  in  the  lodge,  not  living 
actually  in  the  main  room,  I  believe,  but  making 
a  small  nest  for  themselves  in  the  wall,  the 
entrance  to  which  is  either  through  an  off-shoot 
of  the  regular  burrows  or  else  one  made  entirely 
by  themselves.  Apparently  they  do  not  interfere 
in  any  way  with  the  rightful  owners  of  the  lodge, 
unless  possibly  they  steal  some  of  the  smaller  twigs 
from  the  wood-pile,  for  they  too  depend  to  some 
extent  on  bark  for  nourishment,  though  grass  and 
roots  form  the  greater  part  of  their  diet.  Some 
writers  maintain  that  the  muskrat,  or  musquash, 
is  an  enemy  of  the  beaver,  who  kill  them  whenever 

H  2 


100   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

the  opportunity  occurs.  This  may  be  the  case  in 
some  parts  of  the  country,  but  I  have  never  seen 
the  slightest  evidence  of  it.  On  the  contrary,  I 
have  watched  the  muskrats  going  in  and  out  of 
the  lodges  and  working  about  the  wood -pile  while 
one  or  more  beaver  were  there,  and  they  paid  not 
the  least  attention  to  their  little  cousins.  So  also 
when  the  beavers  fell  a  tree  into  the  water  the 
muskrats  will  keep  them  close  company  while  they 
are  at  work.  I  have  seen  the  little  fellows  cut  off 
small  twigs  from  a  birch  tree  from  which  two 
beavers  were  busily  engaged  in  stripping  bark  and 
branches  and  carry  it  away  to  some  hiding  place 
unknown  to  me.  Whether  or  not  the  muskrat 
does  much  damage  to  the  dams  is  not  apparent. 
They  have  their  regular  crossings  over  the  tops  of 
the  dams,  but  I  have  never  found  any  sign  of 
damage  which  could  be  directly  attributed  to 
them.  This,  however,  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
prove  them  innocent,  because  the  experience  of 
other  observers  does  not  altogether  agree  with 
mine.  The  mere  fact  that  the  beaver  allow  the 
muskrat  to  live  unmolested  in  their  lodges  should 
at  least  be  regarded  as  an  indication  of  the 
seemingly  friendly  relations  of  the  two.  In  both 
Newfoundland  and  Canada  I  have  almost  invariably 
noticed  on  approaching  a  lodge  very  quietly  that 
at  the  vibration  caused  by  my  walking  a  muskrat 
will  be  seen  slipping  out  from  the  lodge  under 
water,  a  few  bubbles  rising  to  the  surface  as  he 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    101 

swims  near  the  bottom.  At  first  I  used  to  believe 
they  were  young  beaver,  but  that  idea  was  soon 
dissipated  by  the  little  fellows  coming  up  close  to 
where  I  lay  concealed,  when  I  could  identify  them 
without  any  doubt. 

By  the  middle  of  November  the  lodge  in  which 
our  pair  of  beaver  lived  was  completely  finished.  It 
was  smooth  and  tidy,  with  scarcely  any  sticks 
showing,  nothing  but  mud,  and  roots,  and  a  small 
amount  of  grass  and  sod  used  as  an  outside 
plastering.  About  this  time  the  pond  froze  over 
completely  except  above  the  spring  to  which  allusion 
has  already  been  made.  Only  on  very  cold  nights 
was  there  sometimes  a  thin  layer  of  ice  over  this  part, 
but  even  this  usually  melted  during  the  day  time. 
As  winter  settled  down  on  the  country,  the  beaver 
were  seldom  seen  out  of  doors.  Occasionally  on  a 
particularly  warm  sunny  evening,  one  would  come 
out  through  the  spring  hole  and  take  a  look  over 
the  house.  But  there  was  no  work  to  be  done,  so 
the  beaver  resigned  themselves  to  the  long  season 
of  rest  and  inactivity,  welcome,  perhaps,  after  their 
two  months  or  more  of  really  arduous  labour. 
One  day  was  much  like  another.  Having  nothing 
better  to  do,  they  slept  most  of  the  time,  coming 
out  only  for  an  occasional  swim  in  the  ice-covered 
pond  or  to  get  some  twigs  from  the  wood  pile. 
These  they  would  cut  off  in  convenient  lengths, 
take  into  the  house  and  eat  the  bark.  This  done, 
the  peeled  stick  would  be  carried  out  and  left 


102   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

floating  beneath  the  ice,  useless  except  for  building 
material  the  following  summer  and  autumn,  when 
repairs  to  lodge  and  dams  would  be  needed. 

Nothing  of  particular  importance  occurred  during 
the  winter  months.  The  pond,  like  so  many  others, 
lay  hidden  beneath  two  feet  of  sparkling  ice  over 
which  was  spread  another  two  feet  or  more  of  con- 
cealing snow.  Only  a  slight  white  mound  showed 
where  the  beavers'  lodge  stood,  and  from  the  top 
of  this  mound  a  scarcely  perceptible  film  of  vapour 
rose  to  show  the  place  was  occupied.  The  inmates 
knew  nothing  of  what  was  happening  in  the  great 
white  world.  Blizzards  might  rage,  spreading 
terror  among  the  unhoused  dwellers  of  the  woods. 
Tall,  straight  trees  succumbed  before  its  unseen 
power,  and  crashing  to  the  hidden  earth  unheard  in 
the  roaring  of  the  wind  were  soon  buried  beneath 
the  wind-driven  snow,  torn  and  splintered  stumps 
alone  standing  as  gravestones  to  mark  where  they 
had  lived  proudly  for  so  many  years.  The  still  cold 
nights  when  the  thermometer  might  drop  to  thirty 
or  forty  degrees  below  zero,  so  that  trees,  chilled  to 
the  core,  would  burst  with  a  sharp  report  which 
awakened  the  echoes  of  the  dark  mysterious  forests. 
The  clear  white  sun  might  shine  with  bright  but 
heatless  glare  which  revealed  the  sparkling  crystals 
of  the  frozen  snow  but  gave  scant  comfort  to  any 
living  creature.  Or  the  pale  moon  might  rise 
and  creeping  slowly  across  the  sky  watch  the  great 
game  of  life  and  death,  where  the  hunter  and  the 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    103 

hunted  strive  to  outdo  each  other  in  alertness, 
when  tragedies  were  registered  by  the  red  seal  of 
blood  where  the  victims  fell.  Nothing  of  all  this 
was  known  to  the  beaver  who,  housed  so  comfort- 
ably by  their  own  foresight  and  industry,  lived  in 
complete  peace,  fearing  nothing  but  man  and  otter 
during  this  season  so  dreaded  by  the  homeless. 
Who  shall  say  whether  they  even  knew  of  the 
many  visits  paid  to  their  lodge  by  wolverines,  lynx, 
fishers  and  wolves  ?  These  hunger-driven  creatures 
could  smell  the  hidden  beaver  as  the  scent  rose 
from  the  house,  and  their  tell-tale  footprints  on  the 
fresh-fallen  snow  showed  how  often  they  approached 
the  house  as  though  in  hope  of  finding  some  unex- 
pected way  of  getting  into  it.  Well  they  knew 
that  their  visits  were  fruitless,  for  not  even  the 
powerful  wolf  could  dig  his  way  through  the  ice- 
bound, tangled  walls.  Perhaps  the  beaver  could 
hear  or  smell  their  foolish  visitors  ;  if  so  they  must 
have  experienced  unbounded  satisfaction  in  the 
knowledge  of  their  self-made  security,  which  was 
the  result  of  so  much  hard  work  and  skill. 

Winter  at  last  began  to  give  way  to  the  lengthen- 
ing hours  of  sunshine.  The  weather  ceased  to  be 
so  piercingly  cold,  and  the  throbbing  shafts  of  light 
from  the  aurora  borealis  no  longer  brightened  the 
sky  at  night.  The  snow  became  soft  and  slushy, 
and  the  ice  broke  away  from  the  banks  of  lakes  and 
rivers.  As  the  streams,  fed  by  all  this  melting 
material,  grew  with  alarming  speed,  the  stillness  of 


104   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

the  forest  was  broken  by  countless  tons  of  moving 
ice  which  bounded  along  in  the  seething  water,  now 
piling  up  in  great  walls  as  some  obstacle  barred  its 
path,  then  breaking  loose  and  tearing  all  before  it. 
The  upper  end  of  the  beavers'  pond  was  a  mass  of 
broken  ice  brought  down  by  the  stream.  For  some 
time  it  could  not  break  its  way  through  the  solid 
sheet  which  covered  the  pond.  Gradually  the 
unceasing  flow  of  water  forced  a  passage  through 
the  dam  where  the  ice  again  piled  up  as  though 
impatient  of  the  delay.  During  these  days,  the 
beaver  frequently  came  out  for  an  airing,  often  going 
into  the  woods  in  search  of  some  fresh  food.  It 
was  a  dangerous  undertaking,  for  their  enemies 
were  thin,  hungry,  and  keenly  alert,  and  the  slightest 
prospect  of  beaver  meat  gave  stimulus  to  their 
cunning.  Several  times  during  those  first  visits  to 
the  woods  did  the  beavers  escape  by  an  all  too- 
narrow  margin,  reaching  the  water  only  just  in  time 
to  miss  the  white  fangs  of  their  quick-footed 
enemies. 

By  the  end  of  March  all  trace  of  the  winter's 
snow  had  vanished  except  in  the  darkest  glades 
where  the  sun  did  not  penetrate.  Gradually,  the 
first  signs  of  spring  became  visible.  Small  green 
shoots  appeared  among  the  dead  leaves  and  mosses, 
the  buds  on  the  trees  began  to  swell  and  give 
promise  of  foliage,  and  by  the  middle  of  April  the 
woods  were  tinged  with  the  tenderest  green  of  the 
new  leaves.  This  was  the  most  important  period 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    105 

of  the  beavers'  life.  Already  the  female  was 
becoming  restless,  making  and  remaking  the  bed 
of  shredded  wood  and  grass.  She  did  not  appear  to 
care  for  the  society  of  her  mate,  who  kept  away 
from  her  during  much  of  the  time.  Finally  he 
left  the  lodge,  and  sought  a  temporary  home  in  a 
bank  burrow,  and  it  was  but  a  few  days  later  that 
in  the  lodge  could  be  heard  the  faint  whining  cry 
of  a  newly  arrived  family  of  three.  Three  small, 
furry  imitations  of  their  parents,  about  twelve 
inches  long  and  rather  greyer  in  colour  than  they 
would  be  later  ;  their  ears  were  very  dark  and  their 
eyes  were  open  from  the  first  day,*  and  their  teeth 
good  miniatures  of  those  with  which  their  parents  had 
done  so  much  useful  work.  Occasionally  the  young 
father  came  into  the  lodge,  but  he  seldom  stayed 
long,  evidently  he  considered  it  wise  to  let  the 
mother  have  the  place  to  herself  and  young.  For 
two  weeks  she  kept  them  in  the  dark,  warm  house, 
nursing  and  watching  over  them  with  the  true 
solicitude  which  is  so  wonderful  and  so  exquisitely 
unselfish  in  what  we  term  the  lower  forms  of  life. 
Willingly  would  she  have  sacrificed  her  own  life  if 
occasion  demanded.  No  danger  would  have  been 
considered  too  great  if  her  offspring  were  in  peril, 
but  fortunately  they  were  safe  and  she  only  had  to 
nurse  and  caress  them  while  they  got  their  strength. 

*  Some  authorities  claim  that  the  young  are  blind  at  birth,  but 
the  opinion  of  trappers  and  others  with  whom  I  have  spoken  is 
that  their  eyes  are  open  from  the  first. — A.  R.  D. 


106   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

In  less  than  three  weeks,  they  made  their  bow  to  the 
great  outdoor  world,  swimming  about  without  effort 
or  fear,  in  evident  enjoyment  of  the  bright  sunlight 
that  was  such  a  contrast  to  their  dark  home.  A  short 
swim  sufficed  for  the  first  day,  and  one  by  one,  of 
their  own  accord,  they  dived  (without  having  to 
be  taught  as  our  fanciful  writers  would  make  us 
believe)  and  returned  to  their  lodge  to  dry  off  and 
sleep  after  these  first  exertions. 

The  day  and  weeks  that  followed  were  filled 
with  the  joy  of  living.  Spring  flowers  blossomed 
and  passed  to  give  way  to  later  ones,  the  birds 
returned  from  their  winter  journeys  in  the  balmy 
south,  and  filled  the  green-clad  forests  with  their 
varied  songs.  It  was  their  season  of  courtship  and 
nest-building,  all  following  the  laws  of  their  kind 
with  a  precision  that  no  man  can  understand.  At 
a  certain  time  the  home  of  each  particular  species 
would  be  completed,  nor  did  they  vary  more  than 
a  few  days  from  one  year  to  another.  What 
almanacs  did  they  consult  that  they  should  be  so 
exact  ?  Yet  had  they  not  arrived,  each  species  at 
its  own  exact  time,  all  arrayed  in  their  brightest 
dress,  whether  of  yellow,  blue  or  scarlet,  or  the 
more  sombre  hues,  to  stay  in  the  northern  land  for 
a  definite  period  and  for  a  definite  purpose  ?  The 
young  beavers  played  about  to  the  music  of  the 
woodland  birds,  yet  no  one  dare  say  that  they  paid 
the  slightest  attention  even  to  that  most  exquisite 
of  songsters,  the  hermit  thrush,  whose  rich,  full 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    107 

notes  sound  like  the  call  of  some  happy,  peaceful 
soul  that  has  passed  away  to  the  land  of  shadow 
and  mystery.  Amid  such  surroundings  was  it 
ordained  that  they  should  live,  knowing  few  cares 
or  troubles,  spending  the  hours  in  happiness, 
innocent  as  yet  of  the  fear  of  man.  They  were 
a  playful  trio,  frolicking  about  in  the  water  like 
kittens  on  land,  playing  among  the  fluffy,  wind- 
blown willow  seeds  that  raced  across  the  water  like 
tufts  of  eider-down,  or  later  among  the  broad 
leaves  of  the  spatter-dock  and  the  water-lily, 
filling  the  snowy  petals  of  the  flowers  with  spark- 
ling drops  as  they  splashed  the  water  with  their 
diminutive  tails.  They  played  hide  and  seek,  like 
children,  pushed  each  other  off  the  half- submerged 
logs  exactly  as  boys  would  do,  all  the  time  gaining 
the  strength  and  agility  which  play  is  destined  to 
give.  When  the  sun  was  shining  they  would  often 
sit  on  the  banks  of  the  pond  and  after  making  a 
careful  toilet  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a  sun  bath, 
sleeping,  yet  ever  watchful.  No  one  could  say  at 
what  moment  during  the  day  a  silent-winged  hawk 
might  swoop  down  on  them,  for  they  were  small, 
and  tender  enough  to  tempt  the  appetite  of  those 
that  feed  on  flesh.  When  a  hawk  is  seen,  even 
though  it  appears  as  a  speck  in  the  heavens,  the 
little  furry  creatures  will  scramble  into  the  water 
and  either  resume  their  play  or  go  into  the  lodge 
for  greater  safety,  usually  giving  a  little,  child-like 
cry  of  alarm,  and  on  entering  the  lodge  they  hold 


108   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

an  animated  but  very  subdued  conversation  like 
the  muffled  whining  of  very  young  babies. 

While  still  quite  small  the  beaver  took  to  solid 
food,  nibbling  the  bark  from  thin,  tender  twigs,  so 
that  the  process  of  weaning  was  very  gradual. 
During  the  summer  months  they  spent  much  of 
their  time  outdoors,  frequently  without  their 
parents  ;  at  the  slightest  suspicion  of  danger,  they 
would  slap  the  water  with  their  tails  in  quaint 
imitation  of  their  parents.  The  sound  they  pro- 
duced was  faint,  but  still  loud  enough  to  arouse 
the  mother,  who  usually  came  out  to  see  what 
threatened  her  little  family  and  make  them  seek 
shelter  either  in  the  lodge,  a  burrow,  or  more 
frequently  among  the  thick  grass  which  lined  the 
pond.  When  they  were  about  two  months  old 
they  took  up  their  quarters  for  a  time  in  a  large 
burrow  which  had  been  made  for  the  purpose,  the 
lodge  being  left,  probably  for  the  annual  spring 
cleaning,  which  simply  means  the  destroying  of 
the  insect  parasites  (platypsyllus  castoris),  with 
which  the  bedding  becomes  more  or  less  infested, 
but  which  is  believed  to  be  dependent  on  the  living 
creature  for  its  own  existence. 

Only  too  quickly  the  summer  passed.  The 
lowering  skies  and  cooler  nights  foretold  the 
coming  of  autumn.  But  the  warm,  bright  weather 
had  served  its  great  purpose.  The  birds  had  given 
to  the  world  a  new  population  to  take  the  place  of 
those  that  had  died  or  been  killed.  In  the  warm 


The  beavers'  dining  place  shown  by  the  peeled  sticks. 


The  beavers'  summer  home.     A  hole  in  the  bank. 


Beaver  cuttings,  seven-eighths  natural  size.  Of  the  four  pieces  on  the  left 
the  largest  is  cedar,  a  soft  wood,  the  other  three  birch.  These  are  about 
the  average  size  of  cuttings ;  the  shredded  wood  ou  the  right  is  beaver 
bedding. 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    109 

days,  the  young  had  grown  and  thrived  on  the 
vast  insect  life  which  abounds  in  those  northern 
woods.  The  trees  had  flowered  and  fruited,  that 
new  seeds  might  be  sown  and  young  trees  grown 
to  fill  the  ranks  of  the  old  and  fallen.  Smaller 
plants  had  gladdened  the  woods  with  their  minute 
spots  of  colour  and  furnished  fruits  and  seeds  to 
feed  many  creatures  during  the  coming  winter. 
The  wild  meadows  were  filled  with  new  grasses 
to  feed  the  deer  and  others  that  were  dependent 
on  such  simple  diet,  and  everything  had  gone  along 
in  its  wonderful,  orderly  way,  arranging  supply 
and  demand  with  supernatural  accuracy,  leaving 
the  annual  balance-sheet  audited  by  the  unseen 
power  that  takes  charge  of  all  our  accounts, 
whether  it  be  the  tiny  and  apparently  insignificant 
chickadee  whose  duty  it  is  to  protect  the  forests 
against  the  ravages  of  certain  insects  or  man  whose 
responsibilities  are  so  far-reaching. 

The  young  beaver  family  had  thrived  and  grown, 
and  were  ready  to  assist  their  parents  to  the  best 
of  their  small  ability,  and  even  if  their  help  was  of 
little  account  they  could  at  least  learn,  by  watching, 
how  the  various  tasks  were  accomplished.  Not 
intentionally  did  the  parents  undertake  their 
education.  That  only  happens  in  story-books  in 
which  the  authors  try  to  humanise  the  animals  and 
make  them  follow  our  own  further  advanced  and 
complicated  methods  which  change  as  our  lives 
become  more  and  more  complex.  The  animals 


110   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

have  a  very  marked  inherited  instinct  to  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  their  predecessors  which  causes 
them  to  do  things  naturally.  We  think  that  we 
teach  a  child  to  walk,  but  if  we  made  no  effort  to 
do  so  the  child  would  naturally  walk  because  of 
the  inherited  tendency  to  do  that  which  has  been 
done  by  ages  of  ancestors.  As  the  beavers  swam, 
dived  and  fed  without  being  taught,  so  also  did 
they  cut  wood  with  their  teeth  without  having  to 
be  shown  how  to  do  it.  By  observing  the  work  of 
their  parents  they  undoubtedly  acquired  a  greater 
knowledge  of  how  things  could  be  done  with  the 
least  effort  and  best  results.  Whether  they  knew 
why  trees  were  cut,  branches  stored,  lodges  and 
dams  built  before  they  had  experienced  the  rigours 
of  winter,  we  cannot  say,  for  we  do  not  even  know 
definitely  how  animals  impart  knowledge  and 
exchange  ideas. 

By  the  time  that  occasional  spots  of  scarlet 
pointed  out  the  earliest  of  the  maples,  and  the 
migrating  birds  had  started  southward,  the  beavers 
began  seriously  to  repair  the  dams ;  fresh  material 
was  added,  and  the  height  and  length  slightly 
increased,  the  lodge  also  needed  material,  as  the 
heavy  rains  had  washed  away  much  of  the  earth- 
work. The  branches  which  had  been  peeled  during 
the  winter  for  food  were  now  utilised  in  the  various 
repair  works.  Even  the  inside  of  the  lodge  required 
attention  as  it  was  rather  small  for  the  increased 
family,  so  a  little  excavating  was  done  until 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    111 

it  was  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  five 
occupants.  Another  entrance  was  also  made  in 
case  of  emergencies.  Tree  cutting  began  as  on 
the  previous  year  as  the  colouring  of  the  trees 
was  passing  its  prime.  But  now  they  needed  a 
much  larger  supply  of  winter  food  as  there  were 
more  than  twice  as  many  mouths  to  feed  and  none 
of  the  supply  gathered  a  year  ago  was  now  fit  for 
food.  Some  of  it  was  dragged  on  to  the  house  and 
dam,  but  most  was  left  to  anchor  the  fresh  cuttings, 
and  to  form  an  arched  way  to  the  newly  made 
tunnel.  While  all  these  tasks  were  being  accom- 
plished, the  young  beaver  followed  their  parents, 
sometimes  biting  down  very  small  shrubs  and 
carrying  twigs  to  the  food  pile.  They  even  brought 
up  little  clumps  of  mud  and  put  them  on  the  lodge 
and  dam.  From  one  task  to  another  they  went 
like  restless  children,  always  busy  doing  something 
or  nothing.  They  had  almost  completely  given  up 
coming  out  during  the  day  time,  and  seldom 
appeared  until  an  hour  before  the  sun  had  vanished 
behind  the  trees. 

Toward  the  middle  of  November,  the  first  flakes 
of  fluffy  snow  drifted  slowly  and  aimlessly  down  on 
the  frozen  earth.  It  was  the  advance  guard  of  the 
storms  which  would  soon  follow.  Very  gradually 
the  white  mantle  spread,  and  the  soft  browns,  greys 
and  greens  of  the  land  were  hidden  and  the  beavers 
snuggled  down  in  their  cosy  warm  beds,  contented 
and  confident  that  winter  with  all  its  hardships  had 


112   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

no  terror  for  them.  Their  house  answered  their 
every  purpose,  while  outside,  enclosed  securely 
beneath  the  ever  thickening  ice,  was  their  harvest 
of  wood  :  maple  and  birch  and  ash  and  poplar,  and 
many  other  kinds,  forming  altogether  a  diet  suffi- 
ciently varied  to  satisfy  the  most  fastidious  of 
beavers.  Here  in  their  well-planned  home  we  may 
leave  them  for  the  long  winter,  during  which  time 
they  grow  fat  and  live  a  lazy  life.  With  the 
coming  of  spring,  the  father  beaver  was  once  more 
requested  to  leave  his  home  for  a  new  family  was 
expected.  He  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  burrow 
where  they  had  all  lived  during  part  of  the  summer. 
On  coming  into  the  lodge  one  day  toward  the  end 
of  April,  he  was  welcomed  by  the  tiny  whimpering 
of  four  newly-arrived  kittens,  exact  duplicates  of 
those  that  had  come  just  a  year  before.  The 
founding  of  the  new  colony  seemed  well  assured 
now  that  instead  of  two  there  would  be  nine  to  do 
the  various  works.  Of  course  it  meant  an  increased 
drain  on  the  food  resources  of  the  neighbourhood, 
which  was  none  too  abundant  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  pond.  During  the  weeks  following 
the  arrival  of  the  new  family,  the  father  beaver 
spent  much  time  wandering  about  as  though  making 
plans  for  the  future.  Perhaps  he  realised  that  the 
food  trees  were  becoming  somewhat  scarcer  near 
the  water,  and  that  harvesting  for  the  coming 
autumn  would  involve  a  lot  of  very  hard  work. 
This  would  seem  to  have  been  his  course  of  reason- 


A  large  birch  tree  very  clumsily  cut. 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    113 

ing,  though  there  is  no  proof,  and  perhaps  the 
extended  wanderings  were  simply  the  result  of 
restlessness  after  long  months  of  inactivity.  Within 
a  distance  of  several  hundred  yards  ah1  around  the 
pond  his  journeys  took  him  and  little  escaped  his 
keen  eye.  Among  other  things  he  noted  to  the 
eastward  of  where  the  short  canal  had  been  cut  that 
there  was  a  small  knoll  on  which  there  was  a  dense 
growth  of  aspens  whose  silvery  leaves  trembled 
incessantly  in  the  slightest  breeze  ;  a  very  promising 
supply  of  food  it  was,  but  unfortunately  it  would 
mean  a  long,  difficult  portage  of  nearly  two  hundred 
yards,  all  over  rough  ground.  He  stored  this 
information  away  in  his  brain,  but  did  not  avail 
himself  of  it  for  many  weeks,  during  which  time 
he  made  frequent  trips,  chiefly  down  the  main 
stream,  stopping  here  and  there  to  place  a  small 
mud  pie  signal  so  that  other  strolling  beaver  would 
know  he  had  been  there.  Sometimes  he  was 
accompanied  by  one  or  more  of  his  year-old  children, 
but  Mrs.  Beaver  stayed  at  home  to  look  after  her 
young  ones,  who  were  thriving  as  all  healthy  wild 
creatures  do.  During  the  late  afternoons  she 
would  lie  on  the  surface  of  the  water  and  watch 
the  youngsters  playing.  It  was  scarcely  safe  to 
leave  them  entirely  alone  as  they  often  became  so 
engrossed  in  their  games  that  they  would  have 
fallen  easy  victims  to  any  enemy.  One  day  she 
left  them  for  a  few  minutes,  going  under  water  in 
search  of  some  dainty  morsel  of  food.  As  she  rose 

B.B.  I 


114   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

to  the  surface  her  quick  eye  caught  sight  of  a 
goshawk  flying  low  toward  her  young  who  were 
sunning  themselves  on  the  bank,  utterly  oblivious 
to  the  impending  danger.  Quick  as  a  flash  she 
gave  a  slight  cry  and  struck  the  water  with  her 
large  heavy  tail.  Instantly  the  four  baby  beavers 
made  a  rush  for  the  water.  The  warning  was  too 
late,  however,  for  the  goshawk,  like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning, swooped  down  and  caught  one  of  the  wretched 
creatures,  not  stopping  in  its  powerful  flight,  but 
carrying  its  prey  into  the  woods  where  it  was  lost 
to  view.  Like  most  of  the  tragedies  of  the  wilds, 
it  had  happened  quickly,  and  with  scarcely  any 
disturbance.  The  mother  beaver  took  her  three 
remaining  young  into  the  lodge,  where  she  remained 
for  a  few  minutes  ;  then  she  came  out  quietly,  and 
after  making  sure  that  all  was  safe,  swam  slowly  to 
where  the  four  kittens  had  been  sunning  themselves 
so  peacefully  only  a  short  time  before.  On  landing, 
she  nosed  about  until  her  nostrils  found  the  scent 
of  her  lost  one  and  the  hawk.  She  raised  herself 
up,  sitting  on  her  hind  legs  with  her  small  hands 
hanging  by  her  side  and  gazed  wistfully  toward  the 
woods  which  had  swallowed  the  little  kitten.  A 
low  cry  escaped  her  lips,  but  no  answer  was 
returned.  Again  she  repeated  it  without  result, 
her  nostrils  quivering  all  the  time  as  though  trying 
to  get  the  faintest  hopeful  scent.  In  her  heart  she 
well  knew  that  she  would  never  see  the  one  she 
sought  again,  yet  the  hopefulness  of  despair  com- 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    115 

pelled  her  to  utter  the  mother's  call.  It  was  all 
over,  the  lesson  was  learned,  both  by  herself  and 
her  family,  and  she  swam  back,  diving  without 
noise,  and  disappeared  in  the  lodge  where  three 
frightened  and  hungry  kittens  awaited  her. 

Fortunately  no  other  misfortune  marred  the 
happiness  of  the  little  colony  during  the  summer. 
The  weeks  were  spent  in  play  and  enjoyment  and 
in  investigating  the  surrounding  country.  Shortly 
before  the  approach  of  autumn  the  plans  which  had 
probably  been  formed  many  weeks  earlier  took 
form.  The  aspen  grove  must  be  reached  and  it 
was  decided  that  the  old  canal  should  be  extended 
from  the  part  which  had  been  started  the  previous 
year  to  where  the  trees  grew.  Excavating  a  suit- 
able trench  was  not  easy  work,  but  the  two  old 
beavers,  with  the  assistance  of  their  three  well- 
grown  children,  undertook  the  task.  The  canal 
started  at  the  lake.  It  was  about  two  and  a  half 
feet  wide  and  fifteen  inches  deep.  Some  of  the 
mud  was  taken  out  and  carried  into  the  pond,  but 
most  was  piled  up  on  the  sides.  It  ran  in  a  direct 
line  toward  the  aspens,  but  after  it  had  extended 
about  seventy  yards,  the  rising  land  made  it 
necessary  to  dig  down  to  a  depth  of  two  feet  or 
more  in  order  to  have  sufficient  water.  Evidently 
they  could  not  continue  in  this  way,  as  it  would 
mean  making  a  trench  over  four  feet  deep  before 
the  desired  end  could  be  reached,  so  the  intelligent 
animals  constructed  a  small  dam  and  continued  the 

i  2 


116   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

ditch  at  a  higher  level.  Two  more  such  dams 
were  found  necessary,  each  raising  the  water  to  the 
proper  level.  On  reaching  the  foot  of  the  knoll  on 
which  the  aspens  grew,  the  canal  was  divided  into 
two  wings,  but  in  these  there  was  a  lack  of  water 
which  made  them  almost  useless  except  during  wet 
weather.  The  father  beaver  remembered  having 
seen  a  tiny  stream  which  flowed  not  far  from  the 
end  of  the  longer  wing,  and,  taking  advantage 
of  this,  he  cut  a  narrow  ditch  only  a  few  inches 
wide  and  diverted  some  of  the  water  from  the 
streamlet  to  the  canal,  so  that  it  had  sufficient  for 
its  purpose.  It  was  a  clever  piece  of  work  and 
showed  well  how  highly  developed  is  the  engineer- 
ing skill  of  the  beaver. 

The  weeks  passed  with  alarming  rapidity  while 
this  great  task  was  being  accomplished,  and  though 
the  animals  worked  literally  tooth  and  nail,  they 
had  to  bestir  themselves  in  order  that  everything 
might  be  in  order  before  winter  set  in.  A  con- 
siderable amount  of  work  was  necessary  on  the 
dams,  not  only  in  repairing  the  original  structures, 
but  in  extending  them  once  more  so  that  the  size 
of  the  pond  could  be  slightly  increased.  Then 
also  the  lodge  needed  material  enlargement  in 
order  that  the  eight  beavers  might  be  able  to  live 
comfortably.  It  was  altogether  an  extremely  busy 
autumn  and  all  hands  worked  with  a  will,  appa- 
rently without  any  supervision,  each  doing  what  he 
or  she  considered  most  necessary.  By  the  time 


I 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    117 

the  leaves  began  to  fall  and  carpet  the  earth  with 
their  varied  and  brilliant  colours,  but  little  har- 
vesting had  been  done.  Perhaps  they  knew  that 
aspens  are  easily  cut  and  that  far  more  material 
could  be  gathered  in  a  given  space  of  time  than  if 
large  tough-wooded  birches  and  maples  were  to 
furnish  the  supply.  However  that  may  be,  the 
cutting  of  the  aspens  did  not  begin  in  earnest  until 
November.  Then,  as  though  suddenly  realising 
the  lateness  of  the  season,  a  vigorous  attack  was 
made  on  them.  Over  a  dozen  were  felled  in 
a  single  night.  Each  one  was  quickly  stripped  of 
its  branches  and  cut  into  convenient  lengths  and 
in  this  way  carried  down  piece  by  piece  to  the 
canal  and  through  it  floated  down  to  the  pond  and 
then  to  the  wood  pile.  In  going  down  the  canal, 
each  piece  of  wood  was  lifted  over  the  dams, 
which  soon  showed  much  sign  of  hard  wear,  so 
that  constant  repairs  were  necessary.  The  year 
and  a  half  old  beavers  did  nearly  as  much  work  as 
their  parents,  and  for  nights  there  was  an  almost 
constant  procession  coming  and  going  between  the 
lodge  and  the  head  of  the  canal.  With  astonish- 
ing rapidity  the  store  grew,  and  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  estimate  the  number  of  cords  of 
wood  it  contained.  Even  during  the  freezing 
nights,  when  ice  formed  on  the  still  waters,  the 
beaver  continued  their  harvesting,  frequently 
having  to  break  the  ice  which  formed  along  the 
canal.  Finally,  one  evening,  they  came  out  of 


118   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

the  lodge  to  find  their  canal  useless.  Over  half 
an  inch  of  clear,  "  black  "  ice  had  formed  over  its 
entire  length  and  they  could  not  break  it.  So  the 
aspen  grove,  or  what  was  left  of  it,  was  abandoned, 
the  smooth,  gleaming  white  stumps  bearing  silent 
testimony  to  the  remarkable  activity  of  the  beaver. 
The  season  of  work  was  practically  at  an  end. 
Here  and  there  they  managed  to  find  a  tree  within 
their  reach,  but  only  where  the  streams  ran  into 
the  pond  and  so  kept  the  ice  from  forming  could 
they  bring  any  supplies.  Around  the  lodge  and 
wood -pile  the  ice  was  solid,  except  the  region  of 
the  spring  where  but  little  formed,  so  that  what- 
ever branches  were  brought  had  to  be  transported 
for  a  considerable  distance  under  water.  When 
they  finally  rested  from  their  labours  the  store  was 
ample  for  their  needs,  even  though  winter  should 
last  beyond  its  usual  time. 

The  months  that  followed  were  in  no  way 
different  from  those  of  the  previous  winter.  But 
when  spring  came,  instead  of  the  father  beaver 
leaving  the  lodge  alone,  he  took  with  him  his  three 
older  children,  and  lived  with  them  in  the  summer 
burrow.  The  mother,  who  later  gave  birth  to 
four  kittens,  lived  in  the  lodge  with  the  three 
survivors  of  the  previous  year.  This  season  a 
change  was  decided  upon.  The  family,  now 
numbering  twelve,  would  crowd  the  lodge  beyond 
its  capacity,  so  the  three  older  ones  were  given  to 
understand  by  their  parents  that  they  must  seek 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     119 

homes  for  themselves.  One  went  off  alone  to  see 
the  world,  and  as  he  never  returned  it  is  likely  that 
he  either  found  a  mate  who,  like  himself,  was  a 
wanderer,  or  else  he  joined  another  colony.  For- 
tune was  kind  to  his  two  sisters,  who  for  the 
moment  wished  to  remain  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
parental  pond.  A  small  family  which  had  its 
home  a  couple  of  miles  further  down  the  stream 
had  met  with  disaster.  Fire,  that  most  terrible  of 
all  foes,  had  carved  its  deadly  way  around  their 
pond,  leaving  a  charred  and  blackened  mass  where 
all  had  been  so  green  and  alive.  Their  food  supply 
gone,  they  had  been  forced  to  abandon  the  house 
which  had  sheltered  them  for  two  happy  years. 
One  road  was  as  good  as  another,  and  it  happened 
that  they  came  along  the  stream  on  which  our 
beaver  lived.  While  journeying  along,  they  came 
to  some  of  the  little  mud-pat  signals  made  by  our 
beaver.  What  those  silent  signals  told  them  no 
man  knows,  but  they  came  on  with  renewed  hope, 
and  one  day  arrived  at  the  pond  we  have  been 
watching.  There  were  four  of  them,  an  old  pair 
and  two  young  males,  their  children.  Their 
presence  was  soon  known  to  the  resident  colony, 
but  there  was  not  much  in  the  way  of  introduc- 
tions. Sufficient  for  them  that  they  were  accepted 
as  friends,  and  allowed  to  remain  for  the  present  at 
least.  As  might  naturally  have  been  expected, 
the  two  young  males  decided  to  take  unto  them- 
selves the  two  young  females  as  wives,  and  one  of 


120   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

these  new  pairs,  delighting  in  their  freedom  and 
independence,  went  away  to  some  new  part  of  the 
country  and  began  housekeeping  according  to  their 
own  ideas.  They  were  mated  for  life  and  there- 
fore it  was  only  right  that  they  should  select  some 
place  which  would  allow  the  starting  of  a  new 
colony,  with  ample  room  for  expansion.  Their 
decision  was  wise,  for  had  they  remained  the  pond 
would  have  been  somewhat  overcrowded,  and  that 
is  quite  contrary  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of 
beaverdom.  Everything  is  regulated  from  the 
point  of  food  supply,  and  so  according  to  the 
resources  of  the  neighbourhood  must  the  growing 
of  a  colony  be  limited.  The  young  pair  that 
remained  decided  to  build  their  lodge  on  the  little 
island  on  which  the  original  one  was  placed,  but  a 
dividing  ditch  was  cut  so  that  each  lodge  was  on 
its  own  individual  island.  The  older  pair  of 
visitors,  not  considering  it  wise  to  encroach  too 
much  on  the  hospitality  of  their  new  friends,  made 
a  pond  for  themselves  by  damming  the  smaller 
stream  that  flowed  into  the  lake  and  which  had 
originally  joined  the  main  stream.  In  their  newly 
made  pond  they  arranged  to  build  a  lodge  on  a 
point  of  land  which  they  severed  from  the  shore 
by  cutting  a  broad  channel.  This  seemed  an 
almost  unnecessary  waste  of  labour  if  it  was 
intended  as  a  means  of  protection,  for  any  animal 
large  enough  to  be  regarded  as  an  enemy  could 
easily  jump  across.  It  might,  however,  prevent 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     121 

tunnels  being  made  from  the  land  which  would 
allow  of  access  to  the  interior  of  the  lodge. 

During  the  summer,  the  beavers  wandered  about 
the  country  and  were  seldom  much  at  home,  but 
towards  the  middle  of  August  they  returned  for 
good,  and  slowly  did  what  work  was  necessary  in 
the  way  of  building  and  repairing  dams  and  lodges. 
The  older  pair  of  visitors  kept  pretty  well  to  their 
own  pond,  building  their  dams  and  lodge  without 
assistance  from  the  rest  of  the  colony,  who  had 
quite  enough  to  do  to  attend  to  their  own  needs. 
When  wood  harvesting  began,  the  two  families  in 
the  larger  pond  made  a   single  wood-pile  which 
would  serve  them  both.     With  eleven  mouths  to 
feed  it  was  necessary  that  the  store  should  be  even 
larger   than  on  the  previous  year.      Most  of  the 
harvesting  was  obtained  from  the  aspen  grove  at 
the  head  of  the  canal,  and  the  number  of  trees  cut 
was   past   all   belief.     The  woods  resembled   the 
scene  of  serious  logging  operations  as  carried  on  by 
men.     Paths  were  cut  intersecting  the  whole  knoll 
and  everything  was  most  orderly  ;  each  stump  was 
a  triumph  in  the  art  of  wood-cutting,  clean  and 
smooth  as  though  cut  by  an  experienced  lumber- 
man.     No   waste   was    to    be    found    anywhere. 
Every  trunk  whose  bark  was  in  proper  condition 
was  neatly  divided  into  convenient-sized  sections 
and  removed  to  the  wood-pile,  not  even  a  twig 
was  left.     Besides  the  aspens,  the  beaver  occasion- 
ally undertook  the  more  laborious  task  of  cutting 


122   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

down  large  birches,  the  bark  of  which  has  a  very 
different  flavour.  These  birches,  growing  as  they 
did  among  the  older  trees,  often  presented  difficult 
problems.  One  large  one  in  particular,  which  had 
a  very  heavy  top  of  branches,  was  cut  after  many 
nights  of  hard  work.  Unfortunately  it  lodged  in 
a  neighbouring  birch  and  would  not  fall.  Another 
cutting  was  decided  on  and  continued  until  the 
twenty-two  inches  (diameter)  had  been  gnawed 
through.  But  even  this  did  not  accomplish  its 
purpose,  for,  though  the  trunk  shifted  a  few  feet, 
the  top  remained  entangled.  The  tree  against 
which  it  rested  in  such  an  aggravating  way  was 
nearly  as  large  as  the  one  that  had  been  cut,  but 
even  that  did  not  daunt  the  little  wood-cutters, 
who  went  to  work  with  renewed  determination  to 
cut  through  its  massive  trunk.  By  the  third  night 
they  had  cut  most  of  the  way  through,  but  the 
trunk,  creaking  with  the  great  weight  of  the  tree 
which  leaned  against  it,  filled  the  beaver  with  fear, 
for  should  it  fall  there  was  great  danger  of  being 
caught  beneath  the  mass  of  branches.  So  they 
left  the  task  unfinished,  perhaps  hoping  that  the 
two  trees  would  fall  of  their  own  accord. 

Fortune  favoured  them,  when  a  few  nights  later 
a  violent  storm  swept  over  the  country,  the  roaring 
winds  screeched  through  the  forest,  snapping  off 
branches  and  uprooting  many  large  trees.  The 
winds  lashed  the  water  of  the  lake  into  a  mass  of 
foam,  threatening  even  to  tear  the  wood -pile  away 


Beavers'  road  from  the  water  to  a  grove  of  poplars.  All  obstructions  are 
removed  so  that  branches  and  logs  may  be  brought  to  the  water  with 
the  least  possible  effort. 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     123 

from  its  moorings.  For  two  days  and  two  nights 
the  gale  raged  without  a  pause,  and  during  that 
time  the  beavers  kept  in  their  lodges,  for  well  they 
knew  the  dangers  of  falling  timber.  At  last  the 
storm  passed,  and  the  roaring  of  the  wind  and 
creaking  of  the  trees  gave  place  once  more  to  the 
wonderful,  overpowering  stillness  of  the  forest 
lands.  Once  more  the  pond  reflected  the  beauties 
of  the  encircling  woods.  But  a  great  change  had 
taken  place  in  the  appearance  of  the  country. 
Before  the  storm,  the  forest  was  a  parti-coloured 
mass  of  dark  green,  golden  yellow,  orange  and 
scarlet,  a  shimmering  kaleidoscope  of  colour,  but 
the  ramping  wind  had  stripped  the  branches  of  their 
gorgeous  coverings,  and  left  the  woods  a  sombre 
symphony  of  greys  and  greens,  while  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  wind-blown  wreaths  of  brilliant 
leaves. 

When  the  beaver  came  out  to  see  what  damage 
had  been  done,  they  found  that  the  lapping  water 
had  torn  away  the  upper  side  of  one  of  the  lodges 
and  carried  off  many  large  poles  that  had  been  laid 
on  the  roof.  The  dam,  too,  had  suffered,  and  would 
need  countless  handfuls  of  mud  to  take  the  place  of 
what  had  been  washed  away.  A  visit  to  the  canal 
showed  how  that  too  had  been  damaged.  Trees 
growing  along  its  banks  had  been  uprooted  and  the 
ditch  was  made  impassable  by  the  fallen  branches 
and  debris.  True  enough,  they  would  find  much 
material  among  the  windfalls  that  could  be  utilised, 


124   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

but  the  work  of  clearing  the  canal  was  serious  and 
occupied  many  nights.  During  this  time  they  had 
been  too  busy  to  visit  the  lodged  birch  and  its 
partly-cut  neighbour.  But  at  last  one  of  the  older 
beaver  went  ashore,  probably  with  the  idea  of  see- 
ing what  had  happened,  and  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  finding  both  the  trees  lying  on  the  ground  in  a 
confused  mass.  Here  indeed  was  a  harvest  which 
was  worth  considering,  and  forthwith  he  began 
cutting  off  a  branch,  which  he  immediately  carried 
down  the  mossy  bank  to  the  water  and  across  the 
pond  to  the  wood-pile.  One  of  the  other  beaver, 
seeing  him  come  so  heavily  laden,  surmised  the 
truth  and  followed  him  back  to  the  source  of  such 
richness,  while  she  in  turn  was  soon  followed  by 
several  others.  Before  doing  much  cutting,  how- 
ever, they  decided  to  make  a  better  road,  as  there 
would  be  a  very  great  number  of  loads  to  be  carried. 
A  direct  course  was  therefore  chosen  from  the  fallen 
trees  to  the  nearest  water.  In  a  couple  of  hours 
this  was  finished,  for  all  worked  together  with  but 
one  end  in  view.  No  foreman  directed  their  efforts, 
each  individual  seemed  to  know  exactly  what  was 
needed,  and  each  did  what  was  necessary  without 
the  slightest  instruction  or  advice,  and  therein  is 
one  of  the  great  mysteries  of  beaver  work.  How  is 
it  they  work  in  complete  concert  and  harmony  even 
when  engaged  in  most  difficult  undertakings  ?  No 
plans  are  drawn,  no  orders  given  so  far  as  we  know, 
and  yet  the  work  is  carried  on  as  smoothly  as 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     125 

though  done  by  a  body  of  skilful  artisans  under  the 
instruction  of  a  trained  foreman  who  in  turn 
receives  his  orders  from  a  competent  engineer. 

The  first  thing  to  do  after  making  the  path  was 
to  cut  off  the  outer  branches  which  lay  on  the 
ground.  This  alone  occupied  two  nights.  Then, 
by  climbing  along  the  leaning  trunks,  all  the  larger 
branches  were  neatly  bitten  off  so  that  the  trunks, 
relieved  of  their  support,  came  gradually  to  earth 
and  were  divided  into  lengths  varying  according  to 
the  diameter  ;  nothing  over  eight  inches  through 
being  carried  away.  But  even  the  thickest  parts  of 
the  trunk  that  had  to  be  left  were  not  wasted,  for 
the  beaver  ate  all  the  bark  which  was  suitable  for 
food.  It  was  noticeable  that  the  two  old  beavers 
in  the  upper  pond  took  no  part  in  cutting  up  these 
trees.  Their  colony  was  entirely  separate,  and  they 
must  do  all  their  own  cutting.  In  other  words, 
poaching  was  not  allowed.  In  about  ten  days, 
nothing  remained  of  the  two  tall  trees  but  the 
stumps,  two  lengths  of  partly  peeled  trunks  and  a 
mass  of  large  and  small  chips  that  were  beaten  into 
the  well-trampled  ground,  these  and  the  scarred 
pathway  to  the  water,  and  the  greatly- augmented 
wood-pile. 

From  that  time  up  to  the  freezing  of  the  pond 
the  usual  preparations  for  cold  weather  were  carried 
on,  so  that  when  the  pond  froze  and  the  country 
received  its  winter  winding-sheet  everything  was 
in  readiness.  The  lodges  had  been  plastered, 


126   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

bedding  gathered,  the  dams  thoroughly  overhauled, 
and  the  outdoor  store-house  a  credit  to  the  fore- 
sight of  the  little  caterers. 

The  winter  passed  without  excitement.  During 
January,  a  few  days  of  unusually  mild  weather 
produced  a  great  thaw,  so  that  the  ice,  weighted 
down  by  the  melting  snow,  broke  away  from  the 
shores.  The  beavers  took  advantage  of  this,  and 
came  out  to  bask  in  the  cold  sunshine.  Some 
climbed  on  the  lodges,  while  others  more  adven- 
turous in  spirit  went  ashore,  their  broad,  deep  trails 
marking  their  short  journeys  to  the  woods.  Besides 
this  little  holiday  no  other  event  broke  the  monotony 
of  the  long  imprisonment.  At  last  came  the  wel- 
come death  of  winter,  and  the  gradual  arrival  of 
spring  which  saw  the  colony  increased  by  no  less 
than  twelve  new  arrivals.  The  founders  of  the 
colony  boasted  of  a  fine  family  of  five  new  kittens. 
In  the  lodge  next  to  them  there  were  three,  while 
the  pair  in  the  upper  pond  had  four,  and  all  these 
families  were  born  within  a  period  of  two  weeks. 
The  colony  might  now  be  said  to  be  in  a  flourishing 
condition,  with  a  population  of  twenty-five,  where 
less  than  five  years  before  there  had  been  but  two. 
Unfortunately,  such  prosperity  was  not  destined 
to  continue,  or  we  might  have  seen  the  colony 
double  itself  by  the  following  spring.  That  would 
have  meant  the  facing  of  new  problems  in  the  way 
of  expansion,  for  even  after  allowing  the  departure 
of  two  or  three  pairs,  which  would  certainly  have 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     127 

occurred,  the  remaining  forty  or  fifty  would  have 
made  great  inroads  into  the  food  supply.  The  old 
dams  would  have  to  be  enlarged  and  new  ones  built 
so  that  a  larger  area  might  be  flooded.  The  canals 
would  have  to  be  extended  and  in  every  way  great 
changes  would  be  bound  to  take  place. 

During  the  month  of  July,  when  the  whole 
country  was  throbbing  with  life  and  activity,  when 
everything  presented  such  a  marked  contrast  to  the 
four  sombre  months  of  winter,  the  unwelcome  sound 
of  man's  voice  broke  the  peacefulness  of  the  little 
pond  in  the  woods.  A  fisherman,  anxious  to 
explore  the  stream  in  hopes  of  finding  a  good  place 
for  trout,  had  come  down  from  the  lake  above. 
With  him  was  an  old  guide  who  lived,  as  so  many 
of  them  do,  by  guiding  fishermen  during  the 
summer,  and  big  game  hunters  in  the  autumn,  while 
the  winter,  or  at  least  the  early  part  of  it,  is  devoted 
to  trapping,  the  other  part  being  often  spent  in 
lumber  camps.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when 
these  two  intruders  arrived.  The  beavers,  lulled 
into  a  dangerous  security  by  the  long  period  of 
absolute  God-given  peace,  were  playing  about  the 
pond,  the  young  indulging  in  their  games  with  all 
the  joy  of  youth  and  inexperience.  On  one  of  the 
lodges  lay  the  founders  of  the  colony,  basking  in 
the  warm  yellow  sun,  when  suddenly  the  sound  of 
voices  reached  their  ears,  followed  almost  imme- 
diately by  the  tainted  breeze.  No  second  warning 
was  necessary.  Silently  the  two  slid  off  the  lodge, 


128   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

but  no  sooner  had  they  reached  the  water  than  each 
struck  it  a  resounding  smack  that  sent  up  a  shower 
of  sun-kissed  drops.  The  command  to  dive  was 
imperative,  and  every  beaver  in  that  pond  and  the 
upper  one  vanished  instantly,  and  without  a  sound, 
to  meet  later  in  several  of  the  burrows  which  had 
been  made  along  the  shore.  The  fisherman  was 
much  interested  in  the  scene  ;  but  he  was  after  fish, 
not  beaver,  and  he  would  far  rather  have  seen  the 
surface  of  the  pond  broken  by  rising  trout.  Had 
he  but  known  it,  that  water  contained  many  fine 
fish  that  had  come  down  from  the  upper  lake  to 
enjoy  the  rich  food  in  the  beaver  pond.  The  trapper 
saw  the  prospect  from  an  entirely  different  point  of 
view.  Here  was  a  thriving  colony  of  beavers  that 
represented  perhaps  a  hundred  and  fifty  or  two 
hundred  dollars  to  him.  He  walked  round  the 
pond,  noted  the  size  of  the  chips  which  indicated 
well-grown  beavers,  and,  what  was  of  great  impor- 
tance, no  one  had  been  before  him.  He  would 
keep  the  news  of  the  lucky  find  to  himself,  and  as 
soon  as  the  shooting  season  had  passed,  he  would 
come  armed  with  the  deadly  trap  to  destroy  the 
colony  that  was  engaged  in  a  great,  far-reaching 
work  that  he  did  not  understand.  Comparing  the 
beaver  and  the  man,  we  might  well  ask  which  was 
doing  the  greater  good.  The  one  bent  only  on 
destruction,  while  the  other,  though  so  insignificant, 
was  devoting  his  entire  energies  to  conserving,  to 
doing  that  which,  strangely  enough,  would  be  of 


Tj.     1 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     129 

greatest  benefit  to  the  race  which  was  for  ever 
seeking  his  extermination — surely  an  ironical  fate, 
and  one  that  seems  lacking  in  the  elements  of 
justice. 

It  happened  that  the  trapper,  though  wise  in  his 
own  way,  committed  a  great  mistake  in  making 
such  a  very  thorough  examination  of  the  beaver 
ponds.  He  had  frightened  the  occupants,  which  is 
not  a  wise  thing  to  do,  even  during  the  summer, 
when  the  season  for  trapping  is  so  far  away.  Many 
years  ago,  the  pair  of  old  beavers  that  had  made 
their  home  in  the  upper  pond  after  having  been 
made  welcome  by  the  new  colony,  had  passed 
through  some  very  bitter  experiences.  They  had 
seen  a  whole  community  wiped  out  of  existence  by 
trappers,  and  had  been  the  only  ones  to  escape. 
Again,  two  years  later  they  had  been  ruthlessly 
pursued  by  human  enemies  and  had  seen  all  their 
offspring  caught  by  the  cruel  steel  traps.  The 
presence  of  man  to  them  was  a  very  real  danger 
which  must  at  all  costs  be  avoided.  The  security 
of  the  new  home  was  evidently  gone  and  the  only 
thing  left  for  them  if  they  wished  to  live  was  to 
find  another  stream  as  far  away  as  possible.  They 
said  nothing  about  their  decision,  but  the  old  father 
took  himself  off  quietly  one  fine  night  and  for 
several  weeks  the  colony  did  not  see  him  again. 
He  was  intent  on  finding  a  suitable  place  in  which 
a  new  colony  might  be  founded  and  he  journeyed 
many  weary  miles,  often  crossing  thickly  wooded 

R.B.  K 


130   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

hills  in  his  endeavour  to  discover  the  desired  stream. 
At  length  his  efforts  were  rewarded,  a  small 
stream  was  found  running  between  some  rough 
hills  which  many  years  ago  had  been  swept  by  fire. 
All  the  large  timber  had  been  destroyed  and  only 
the  gaunt  grey  stumps  remained  as  the  gravestones 
of  the  magnificent  forest.  Surrounding  them  was  a 
thick  second  growth  of  aspens,  birches,  wild  cherries 
and  maples  which  sheltered  the  ground  and  gave 
the  seedling  conifers  a  chance  to  make  their  start 
in  life.  Throughout  this  burnt  land  wherever  an 
opening  occurred,  the  ground  was  blazing  with  the 
brilliant  magenta  fire-weed.  The  conditions  were 
most  favourable  for  a  beaver  colony,  for  though  the 
stream  was  small,  it  was  fed  largely  by  springs 
issuing  from  the  rugged  hills,  and  the  food  supply 
was  sufficient  for  quite  a  large  community.  Satis- 
fied with  his  investigations,  the  old  beaver  returned 
by  a  direct  route  to  his  home,  guided  by  the  sense 
which  is  possessed  byt  animals,  but  which  we  do  not 
understand ;  his  arrival  caused  not  the  slightest 
surprise. 

What  happened  during  the  days  following  no 
man  can  tell,  but  presumably  he  in  some  way  made 
known  his  ideas  as  to  the  advisability  of  a  general 
exodus,  and  most  of  the  beavers  considered  his 
arguments  sound.  At  least  so  it  appeared  if  we 
may  judge  from  what  took  place.  For  the  colony, 
with  the  exception  of  the  pair  and  their  young 
which  lived  in  the  smaller  house,  abandoned  the 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    131 

pond  that  had  been  the  scene  of  such  activities 
during  the  past  five  years.  Under  the  leadership 
of  the  old  beaver  they  trekked  across  country  to 
the  new  land  of  promise.  It  was  not  a  conspicuous 
band  of  immigrants  that  undertook  the  big  journey, 
for  they  did  not  march  all  together,  but  in  a  long, 
straggling  line,  following  each  other  by  the  invisible 
trail  of  scent  as  surely  and  easily  as  man  follows  his 
well-built  roads.  Travelling  on  land  shows  a 
beaver  at  his  worst ;  he  is  slow,  and  even  clumsy, 
and  is  at  the  mercy  of  any  passing  enemy.  It  is 
therefore  with  a  feeling  of  dread  that  they  venture 
far  from  water,  so  well  do  they  realise  their  own 
shortcomings.  Of  the  twenty-five  that  started 
out,  only  eighteen  reached  their  destination.  And 
it  was  only  by  good  fortune  that  the  death  list  had 
not  been  far  greater.  A  pair  of  wolves  out  hunting 
for  their  cubs'  dinner  came  across  the  beavers' 
trail.  They  needed  no  urging,  for  they  knew  that 
it  was  the  trail  of  the  most  easily  killed  of  all 
the  animals  in  the  woods.  So  they  followed  at  a 
swinging  trot,  careful  only  to  see  that  they  did  not 
overrun  their  quarry.  Less  than  an  hour  later,  the 
rising  moon  lightened  up  the  tragedy,  the  details 
of  which  are  quite  unnecessary.  Sufficient  is  it  to 
say  that  seven  beavers  ceased  to  be,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  a  small  pond  into  which  the  others  escaped, 
it  is  likely  that  the  new  colony  would  never  have 
been  founded.  The  wolves  would  have  killed  the 
entire  band  without  the  slightest  difficulty.  As  it 

K2 


132   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

was,  the  survivors  remained  hidden  in  the  pond  all 
that  night  and  the  following  day,  and  then,  filled 
with  fear  lest  their  enemies  might  return,  they 
hastened  forward  toward  their  destination,  which 
was  reached  without  further  mishap.  Then  came 
the  question  of  whether  it  would  be  better  to  make 
one  pond  and  all  live  together  in  two  houses,  or 
whether  two  separate  ponds  should  be  made.  The 
stream  was  small  and  the  contour  of  the  land  did 
not  offer  facilities  for  making  a  large  pond  as  the 
valley  was  narrow.  So  after  careful  investigation 
they  made  two  narrow,  long  ponds  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  of  each  other.  The  lower  one 
received  an  additional  supply  of  water  from  a  second 
stream  which  joined  the  main  one  about  a  hundred 
yards  above  the  place  where  they  decided  to  put 
the  dam. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  relate  how  they  carried  on 
all  the  work  for  the  new  colony,  as  the  methods 
differed  in  no  essential  way  from  what  has  already 
been  told.  The  same  sort  of  dams  were  built, 
except  that  more  stone  was  used  and  more  dry 
wood.  The  supply  of  mud  being  very  limited, 
owing  to  the  rapidity  of  the  stream,  the  dam  was 
largely  filled  in  with  sod,  clumps  weighing  fifteen 
or  twenty  pounds  being  dragged  into  position. 
Two  lodges  were  built,  one  in  each  pond.  Six 
beavers  lived  in  the  upper  lodge  and  twelve  in  the 
lower  one.  The  entire  work  was  completed  before 
the  cold  weather  began,  and  we  may  well  leave 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY    133 

them  for  the  time  to  enjoy  their  hard-earned  rest  in 
the  peaceful  security  of  the  new  home  while  we 
return  to  the  old  pond  to  see  what  happens  to  those 
who  would  not  give  up  their  home  and  take  the 
advice  of  their  elders. 

The  shooting  season  having  ended  Joe,  as  we 
will  call  the  trapper,  returned  to  his  little  log 
cabin,  satisfied  at  having  been  instrumental  in  the 
death  of  at  least  two  unusually  large  moose  (several 
others  having  escaped  wounded)  which  he  had 
called  with  his  fatal  birch  bark  horn  until  they 
were  within  easy  range  of  the  waiting  sportsman. 
His  thoughts  now  turned  to  the  beaver  colony 
which  had  so  thoroughly  excited  his  cupidity. 
From  the  walls  of  his  shack  he  took  down  a  bundle 
of  carefully  greased  steel  traps  and  examined  them 
to  see  that  all  were  in  perfect  order.  Then  he 
made  a  pack  of  a  small  tent,  blankets,  and  some 
grub,  and  the  inevitable  kettle  and  pan,  axe  and 
rifle.  Placing  these  on  his  back,  with  the  weight 
hanging  from  his  forehead  by  means  of  a  tump  -/*-^<L.  ~U.  s. 
line,  he  started  out,  filled  with  a  keen  sense  of 
satisfaction,  for  he  did  not  doubt  the  success  of  his 
undertaking,  and  a  dozen  or  two  of  beaver  pelts 
would  make  a  very  good  start  for  the  winter's 
work.  Three  days'  hard  travelling  through  the 
bleak  autumn  woods  brought  him  to  the  pond 
which  a  few  months  before  he  had  seen  under  such 
entirely  different  conditions.  He  approached 
carefully  and  made  his  little  camp  some  distance 


134      ROMANCE   OF  THE   BEAVER 

from  the  lower  side  of  the  pond,  so  that  no  scent 
of  man  should  alarm  the  unsuspicious  beaver. 
Early  the  following  morning  he  took  several  traps 
and  set  them  in  different  positions,  one  being 
placed  at  each  dam  near  a  breach  which  he  made, 
for  he  knew  full  well  that  the  beavers  are  most 
careful  to  inspect  the  dams  every  night  during  the 
autumn  and  they  would  promptly  mend  any  break 
they  found.  As  he  proceeded  with  his  occupation 
his  practical  eye  noted  many  signs  of  a  most  dis- 
turbing nature.  Only  one  lodge  had  received  its 
winter  coat  of  mud,  the  wood-pile,  and  there  was 
only  one,  was  far  smaller  than  it  should  have  been. 
The  dams  in  the  upper  pond  were  in  bad  condition 
and  showed  no  evidence  of  having  been  repaired 
for  many  months,  neither  were  there  any  fresh 
cuttings  in  or  near  that  pond.  More  and  more 
did  Joe's  hopes  droop.  That  there  were  beaver 
in  the  place  could  not  be  doubted,  as  quite  freshly 
peeled  sticks  were  strewn  along  the  shore  and 
fresh  browse  projected  above  the  water  near  the 
lowest  house,  but  he  was  forced  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  colony  was  far  smaller  than  when  he  had 
seen  it  before.  Had  someone  been  before  him  and 
taken  his  beaver  ?  In  vain  he  searched  for  any 
indications  of  trap  or  man.  Perhaps  some  wander- 
ing Ojibway  Indian  had  visited  the  place  and  shot 
the  beavers  earlier  in  the  season.  Whatever  the 
cause  he  felt  disturbed.  He  had  refused  to  join 
a  friend  on  a  trip  to  a  region  which  promised  rich 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     135 

returns  in  pelts  because  he  had  been  certain  in  his 
mind  that  this  pond  would  yield  abundant  profit 
for  the  amount  of  time  and  labour.  Stump  after 
stump  he  examined  and  all  told  the  same  story, 
if  teeth  marks  could  be  relied  upon.  Two, 
probably,  three-year-old  beaver  of  medium  size 
and  some  worthless  youngsters.  Truly  a  fine 
prospect  for  an  experienced  trapper  !  Strangely 
enough  it  had  never  occurred  to  him  that  the 
beaver  might  have  taken  alarm  at  his  summer 
visit  and  moved  to  new  quarters.  He  blamed  the 
Indian  and  cursed  him  beneath  his  breath  as  an 
interloper  and  a  thief  who  had  stolen  what  he  con- 
sidered rightfully  belonged  to  him.  His  disgust 
only  increased  when  the  following  morning  on 
visiting  his  traps  he  found  two  dead  beaver  kittens 
whose  immature  skins  were  almost  worthless. 
For  several  nights  after  that  he  had  no  luck  at  all. 
In  vain  did  he  try  his  most  cherished  "  medicine  " 
made  up  of  a  secret  compound  of  castoreum  and 
other  potent  ingredients  whose  name  he  would  not 
divulge  to  any  living  person,  as  they  had  been 
given  to  him  many  years  ago  by  a  dying  com- 
panion who  had  been  famous  for  his  success  in 
trapping.  It  was  not  until  more  than  a  week 
had  passed  that  Joe  caught  one  of  the  older 
beavers.  Another  of  the  kittens  had  also  fallen 
a  victim  to  his  efforts,  so  that  only  one  old  one 
remained  alive.  In  the  end  he  too  got  into  one 
of  the  carefully  set  traps,  but  fortunately  the  jaws 


136   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

had  closed  only  on  one  front  foot,  and  that  was 
all  Joe  found  in  the  trap  when  he  came  the 
following  morning.  The  beaver  had  escaped, 
crippled  and  frightened,  and  Joe  knew  that  further 
efforts  to  capture  him  would  be  useless,  so  in  utter 
disgust  he  left  the  pond  which  had  promised  so 
much  and  given  so  little. 

The  three-footed  beaver  remained  in  his  lonely 
home  throughout  the  winter,  leaving  it  as  soon  as 
the  ice  melted.  What  became  of  him  after  that 
is  not  known,  but  if  we  believe  the  stories  of 
Indians  and  others  whose  lives  are  spent  in  the 
wilds  he  remained  a  lonely  widower  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  wandering  about  and  living  in  burrows 
without  sufficient  ambition  to  build  another  lodge. 
This  is  a  pretty  fancy  which,  though  not  absolutely 
proven,  has  much  to  warrant  its  truth,  and  it 
shows  the  humble  beaver  in  a  delightful  way, 
constant  to  but  one  wife  whose  memory  is  held 
sacred,  if  such  a  word  may  be  allowed  when 
speaking  of  animals.  Everything  in  the  beaver's 
life  points  to  a  fine  moral  nature.  Their  code  of 
living  seems  high,  and  they  live  up  to  it  in  most 
cases.  Some  people  deny  to  animals  the  know- 
ledge of  right  and  wrong,  and  by  so  doing  prove 
how  little  they  know  of  the  subject.  From  the 
smallest  bird  to  the  highest  form  of  mammal  the 
sense  of  right  and  wrong  is  distinctly  evident. 
How  far  it  is  developed  we  can  only  surmise.  For 
almost  the  only  opportunity  we  have  of  studying 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     137 

it  is  in  our  own  relations  with  them,  while  when 
they  are  in  their  wild  and  natural  state  we  know 
next  to  nothing  of  the  intimacy  of  their  lives.  It 
is  sometimes  said  that  it  is  our  influence  that  has 
developed  in  dogs  their  sense  of  shame  at  doing 
anything  which  they  know  to  be  wrong,  and  that 
it  is  not  actual  shame  so  much  as  fear  of  punish- 
ment which  actuates  their  behaviour.  To  a  certain 
extent  this  may  be  true,  but  what  about  the  wild 
animals  which  punish  offenders  who  are  guilty  of 
violating  the  laws  of  the  pack  or  the  herd  ?  If 
they  had  no  sense  of  right  or  wrong  this  would 
never  happen,  for  punishment  of  one  creature  by 
another  can  only  result  from  a  knowledge  that 
wrong  has  been  done,  and  with  the  realisation  of 
wrong  there  must  be  an  equal  understanding  of 
right.  In  the  beaver's  life  we  see  many  instances 
of  the  observing  of  their  unwritten  laws.  The 
right  of  possession  is  seldom  questioned,  thieving 
is  not  allowed,  or  at  least  not  indulged  in.  Com- 
munity interests  are  understood,  so  that  all 
members  of  a  colony,  whether  comprising  one 
family  or  many,  will  assist  in  work  which  is 
obviously  for  the  benefit  of  all,  such  as  building 
and  repairing  the  dams,  which  are  apparently 
common  property,  while  in  contrast  to  this  they 
do  not  help  in  building  each  other's  lodges.  Each 
lodge  belongs  to  those  who  expect  to  occupy  it, 
and  by  them  alone  is  it  erected  and  repaired.  In 
case  of  danger  the  one  who  first  suspects  it  has 


138   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

thought  for  the  others  and  immediately  warns 
them  by  slapping  the  water.  Foster  parentage 
is  not  uncommon  among  beaver  ;  where  a  mother 
has  been  killed  her  young  are  taken  care  of  by 
others  that  have  young  themselves,  an  exhibition 
of  the  noblest  form  of  charity  which  entails  a  great 
amount  of  labour  and  worry  upon  the  foster 
mothers  and  fathers.  The  more  one  sees  of  wild 
animals  the  more  one  is  forced,  if  not  blinded  by 
prejudice  and  other  equally  blighting  forms  of 
ignorance,  to  realise  and  admire  the  beauty  of 
their  natures.  And  just  as  we  are  in  danger,  as 
Darwin  says,  of  underrating  "  the  mental  powers 
of  the  higher  animals,"  so  are  we  too  oft  averse 
to  crediting  them  with  a  sufficiently  well-developed 
moral  nature. 

Taking  all  things  into  consideration  the  beaver 
may  be  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  peaceful  of 
animals,  even  cowardly  according  to  some  observers. 
Yet  this  is  scarcely  a  fair  statement  for  any  man  to 
make.  Under  ordinary  conditions  the  beaver  will 
avoid  any  exhibition  of  pugnacity.  Even  when 
caught  in  a  trap  they  will  watch  the  approach  of 
the  trapper  without  signs  of  resentment  or  fear, 
though  they  probably  know  that  his  coming  means 
their  death.  As  he  approaches  they  neither  snarl 
nor  bite,  but  with  a  pathetic  appeal  in  their  mild 
eyes  simply  put  up  their  little  hands  above  their 
heads  as  though  to  ward  off  the  fatal  blow  of  the 
axe  or  club.  A  more  touching  spectacle  would  be 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  BEAVER  COLONY     139 

hard  to  imagine  and  yet,  see  the  same  creature 
when  danger  threatens  its  young.  See  how  careless 
it  is  of  its  own  safety ;  thinking,  just  as  many  birds 
do,  only  to  decoy  the  enemy  away,  it  will  approach 
to  within  a  few  feet  of  man  and  feign  a  crippled 
condition,  falling  down  and  showing  every  evidence 
of  powerlessness.  Almost  will  it  allow  itself  to  be 
caught  if  the  danger  to  the  young  seems  imminent, 
and  so  it  will  coax  its  enemy  further  and  further, 
while  the  subject  of  all  this  solicitude  watches  a 
suitable  opportunity,  and  vanishes  the  very  moment 
it  finds  it  is  not  observed.  No  sooner  is  it  in  safety 
than  the  parent  regains  her  vigour  and  makes  off 
with  all  possible  speed.  Evidently  the  beaver  is 
not  a  coward,  but  a  born  believer  in  peace,  a 
suitable  emblem  for  all  peace  conferences,  for  it 
believes  in  industrious,  not  lazy,  peacefulness,  and 
is  thoroughly  against  everything  in  the  way  of 
fights  and  conflicts.  It  asks  only  to  be  left  alone 
when  it  will  work  unceasingly  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  what  the  Designer  of  the  world  intended  it 
should  do. 


CHAPTER    III 

RESULTS      OF      BEAVERS'      WORK IN      WHAT      WAY 

MAN  DERIVES  BENEFIT  FROM  THE  ENGINEER- 
ING FEATS  OF  THE  COUNTLESS  GENERATIONS 
OF  BEAVERS — METHODS  FOR  THEIR  PROTECTION 

IN  the  foregoing  chapters  the  actual  work  done 
by  the  beaver  and  the  immediate  object  of  such 
work  as  it  affects  the  animals  themselves  has  been 
reviewed.  We  may  now  turn  to  the  far-reaching 
results  of  what  is  done,  and  has  been  done  by  them 
during  the  past  thousands  of  years,  and  the  con- 
clusion is  forced  upon  us  that  the  debt  we  owe  to 
the  beaver  is  of  such  magnitude  that  it  can  never 
be  repaid.  It  is  very  doubtful  indeed  whether  the 
work  of  any  animal  has  such  far-reaching  results. 
Other  creatures  have  been  of  greater  value,  either 
as  furnishing  food,  or  clothing,  or  means  of  trans- 
portation, but  by  themselves,  unaided  by  man,  they 
have  done  no  work,  they  have  accomplished  little 
or  nothing  which  has  been  of  any  direct  benefit  to 
man  except  in  the  way  of  killing  our  enemies,  in 
which  work  birds  take  the  highest  place,  for  without 
their  perpetual  aid  we  should  be  overrun  by  insect 
pests,  and  be  unable  to  grow  our  food  crops. 
Slowly  we  are  beginning  to  realise  this  and  are 


As  a  datn  falls  into  decay  the  site  becomes  overgrown  with  alders 
and  willows. 


This  dam,  no  longer  kept  in  repair,  will  let  the  water  escape,  and  before  long 
will  lose  all  semblance  of  its  original  form. 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     141 

making  a  fight  against  the  dastardly  destruction  of 
these  innocents  for  purposes  of  personal  adornments 
and  other  equally  useless  objects.  But  the  beaver 
is  almost  without  any  champion.  He  even  has 
enemies  who  demand  that  he  shall  be  killed 
for  the  harm  he  does  to  their  particular  interests. 
They  do  not  stop  to  consider  how  they  benefit 
by  the  results  of  the  little  animals'  work  which 
far  more  than  counter-balances  any  slight  harm 
they  do. 

In  this  chapter  I  shall  endeavour  to  show  what 
the  beavers'  work  means.  The  question  of  the 
value  of  the  animals  themselves  as  fur  bearers,  and 
the  results  to  the  country  from  their  pursuit,  will 
come  in  a  later  chapter.  We  have  seen  that 
through  making  dams  the  beaver  floods  tracts  of 
land  which  vary  in  size  from  less  than  an  acre  up  to 
hundreds  of  acres,  perhaps  we  might  even  say 
thousands.  So  long  as  these  ponds  or  lakes  are 
inhabited  by  the  animals  the  dams  are  kept  in 
repair,  but  gradually,  as  the  size  of  the  colony 
increases,  the  supply  of  food  trees  becomes  more 
and  more  remote  and  the  place  eventually  is  un- 
suited  to  their  needs,  so  the  beaver  move  away  and 
seek  new  pastures.  In  the  natural  course  of  events 
the  dam,  no  longer  kept  in  repair,  soon  begins  to 
break  down.  Willows  and  alders  take  root  and 
open  up  seams  through  which  the  water  escapes. 
Running  water  soon  enlarges  any  holes  in  earth 
works,  and  so  within  a  short  time  the  dams  no 


142   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

longer  hold  back  the  water,  the  pond  gets  lower 
and  lower  until  finally  it  vanishes. 

So  much  for  the  dam  ;  now  let  us  watch  the  pond 
itself  throughout  its  course  of  existence.  It  began 
as  a  stream  whose  banks  were  probably  wooded. 
As  the  water  rose  and  flooded  the  land  the  trees, 
which  had  not  been  cut  for  food  by  the  beavers, 
becoming  choked  by  water  soon  died,  and  as  the 
pond  grew  with  each  year's  additions  to  the  dams, 
more  and  more  trees  were  cut  down  for  food  and 
killed  by  water.  What  started  as  a  pond  of  perhaps 
fifty  feet  wide  and  covering  far  less  than  an  acre 
becomes  a  lake  of  fair  size.  Gradually  the  trees 
that  have  died  fall  and  no  trace  of  them  is  seen 
above  water.  Their  roots  may  remain  hidden  in  the 
ground  to  be  dug  up  later  as  proof  of  the  previous 
existence  of  the  trees.  Nothing  remains  to  break 
the  smooth  surface  of  the  lake  except  perhaps  one 
or  more  beaver  islands  on  which  the  lodges  were 
built.  After  the  place  has  been  occupied  by  many 
generations  of  beaver  it  is  abandoned  owing  to  lack 
of  food,  or  for  the  more  dismal  reason  that  the 
trapper  had  paid  his  visits  of  destruction  to  the 
peaceful  colony,  and  the  pond  of  maybe  ten  or  a 
hundred  years'  growth  slowly  subsides.  During  all 
these  years  there  has  been  a  rich  land-forming 
process  going  along  in  an  automatic  way.  The 
growing  vegetation,  having  been  killed  by  the  rising 
water,  has  decomposed.  Wood  and  leaves,  grasses 
and  roots,  and  even  stones  have  become  a  homo- 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     143 

geneous  mass  of  material  which  under  certain 
conditions  makes  soil.  Year  after  year  the  trees  on 
the  surrounding  hills  and  valleys  have  shed  their 
myriad  leaves,  and  these  have  been  blown  into  the 
lake,  or  carried  to  it  by  the  rains  and  melting  snows. 
Debris  of  all  sorts  has  been  brought  down  to  the 
flooded  areas  where  in  the  still  waters  it  all  settles 
to  the  bottom  so  that  gradually  a  deep  vegetable 
muck  has  formed  over  the  land  that  once  was 
covered  with  trees  and  flowers  and  richly  coloured 
mosses.  Most  of  this  refuse  of  the  woods  is  under 
normal  conditions  carried  down  by  the  various 
streams  into  the  rivers  and  so  out  to  the  sea  and 
apparently  man  gets  no  benefit  from  it.  But  the 
beaver  lake  has  arrested  this  valuable  material  and 
prevented  it  going  to  waste.  Instead  of  being  lost 
it  has  been  stored  up,  not  in  one  pond,  but  in 
hundreds  of  thousands,  large  and  small.  With  the 
desertion  of  a  beaver  pond  the  water,  as  already 
stated,  being  no  longer  held  in  check  by  the  well- 
built  dams,  gradually  finds  its  way  out.  The  sub- 
sidence may  be  slow  or  rapid,  but  the  effect  is  the 
same.  The  whole  area  of  flooded  land  begins  to 
dry,  and  what  was  formerly  a  rough  irregular 
tract  has  become  smooth  and  level.  For  some 
time  the  water-soaked  land  is  too  heavy  to  allow  of 
a  good  growth  of  vegetation,  but  it  is  opened  and 
ploughed  by  the  winter  frosts,  while  the  sun  and  the 
rains  prepare  it  for  its  great  mission.  Grasses  take 
possession  and  soon  the  lake  becomes  a  meadow 


144   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

luxuriant,  smooth  and  beautiful,  a  visible  result  of 
the  beavers'  industry  and  the  super-human  direction 
of  the  power  which  controls  all  material  things,  and 
produces  the  greatest  results  from  the  smallest  and 
most  insignificant  beginnings.  How  many  acres  of 
the  finest  meadow  land  and  richest  valleys  are  the 
result  of  beavers'  work  no  one  dare  say.  But 
throughout  North  America  it  is  fairly  safe  to  say 
that  many  hundreds  of  thousands,  or  even  millions 
of  acres,  of  the  finest  cultivated  land  owe  their 
existence  to  the  beaver.  Of  course  in  most  places 
all  trace  of  the  origin  of  these  bottom  lands  is  lost, 
but  every  once  in  a  while  a  beaver-cut  stump  is 
discovered  by  those  who  have  to  dig  down  a  few 
feet  below  the  surface,  and  in  some  cases  these 
evidences  of  beaver  work  have  been  found  fully 
thirty  or  forty  feet  down,  where  for  countless  ages 
they  have  been  preserved  by  the  peat  which  has 
formed  over  them.  Agassiz,  speaking  of  the  age  of 
beaver  work,  mentions  the  building  of  a  mill  dam 
which  necessitated  some  excavating.  "  This  soil 
was  found  to  be  peat  bog.  A  trench  was  dug  into 
the  peat  twelve  feet  wide,  by  twelve  hundred  feet 
long,  and  nine  feet  deep ;  all  the  way  along  this 
trench  old  stumps  of  trees  were  found  at  various 
depths,  some  still  bearing  marks  of  having  been 
gnawed  by  beaver  teeth."  By  calculating  the 
growth  of  the  bog  as  about  a  foot  a  century  there  is 
fairly  good  evidence  that  the  dam  built  by  the  beaver 
must  have  existed  about  one  thousand  years  ago. 


A  beaver  pond  seen  from  an  elevation.     The 
extreme  right. 


are  seen  on  the 


A  comparatively  new  beaver'pond  tilled  with  trees  which  have  been  killed 
by  the  water.  These  will  gradually  disappear  and  leave  the  pond 
unobstructed. 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK    145 

Do  the  farmers  realise  what  debt  they  owe  to  the 
beaver  ?  I  fear  not.  Their  one  idea  if  a  beaver  is 
found  anywhere  within  their  property  is  to  imme- 
diately kill  it.  For  they  regard  its  wretched  skin, 
worth  perhaps  ten  dollars  at  most,  as  being  the 
only  value  of  the  beaver,  and  so  the  wretched  beast 
is  caught  and  its  skin  saved,  while  the  brains  which 
have  accomplished  so  much  are  thrown  to  the  dogs. 
Who  is  to  blame  for  this  ?  Those  who  have  the 
teaching  of  our  children.  If  only  the  schools 
taught  more  about  the  usefulness  of  animals  and 
birds,  even  from  the  selfish  point  of  view  of  their 
results  to  men,  and  taught  these  things  intelli- 
gently, much  good  would  come.  But  a  trip  into 
any  part  of  the  country  where  the  beaver  still  exists 
in  its  wild  state  will  show  how  blind  people  are  to 
their  own  interest  in  allowing  these  animals  to  be 
destroyed. 

Before  going  further  into  this  side  of  the  question 
it  might  be  as  well  to  show  some  more  ways  in 
which  the  beaver  is  of  almost  unlimited  benefit  to 
mankind  and  the  country  in  general.  Water,  as  we 
well  know,  is  the  most  essential  of  all  things  ;  on  its 
supply  a  country  thrives  or  perishes.  Millions  of 
pounds  are  spent  annually  to  protect  and  conserve 
the  supply,  so  that  towns  and  farms,  and  forests  too, 
shall  have  all  that  is  needed.  With  the  opening  up 
of  country  and  the  consequent  destruction  of  forest 
land,  the  supply  is  inevitably  bound  to  decrease,  as 
the  thousands  of  smaller  streams  are  deprived  of  the 

E.B.  L 


146   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

shelter  which  prevents  the  rapid  evaporation  of  the 
water  ;  the  result  is  of  course  the  lessening  of  the 
amount  in  the  larger  rivers.  At  certain  seasons  the 
supply  is  too  great,  and  floods  do  infinite  damage. 
At  other  times  there  is  a  great  shortage.  Man,  in 
order  to  prevent  this  uneven  supply,  builds  enor- 
mous dams  which  retain  the  water  during  the  season 
of  plenty,  and  deal  it  out  as  needed  during  the  hot 
summer  months.  But  even  with  man's  most  care- 
fully arranged  plans  and  vast  expenditure  of  money, 
we  hear  of  periodic  water  famines,  with  the  result- 
ing hardships  which  have  such  far-reaching  and 
disastrous  results.  But  what,  may  be  asked,  has 
this  got  to  do  with  beaver  ?  A  glance  at  the  work 
of  those  small  animals  will  answer  the  question. 
Their  dams,  built  most  often  near  the  head  waters 
of  streams,  result  in  countless  reservoirs,  which 
keep  the  water  in  check  and  allow  only  the  steady 
flow  of  a  small  amount,  so  that  droughts  in  a  beaver 
country  are  almost  unknown,  as  there  is  always  a 
sufficient  supply  kept  in  reserve.  In  some  few 
parts  of  the  country  stock  owners  have  begun  to 
realise  this  important  fact  with  the  highly  satis- 
factory result  that  these  men  are  protecting  beaver, 
which  they  regard  as  of  the  utmost  value,  because 
they  can  actually  see  the  benefits  which  result  from 
the  work  of  these  insignificant  engineers.  In  the 
western  States  this  exhibition  of  the  importance  of 
the  beaver  is  most  in  evidence,  and  we  may  hope  that 
other  parts  of  the  country  will  eventually,  and 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     147 

before  it  is  too  late,  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  those 
men  in  South  Dakota  and  other  places  who  have 
set  such  good  example. 

Apart  from  the  conserving  of  water,  the  dams 
play  another  and  almost  equally  important  part. 
Floods,  as  already  stated,  are  a  source  of  almost 
unlimited  trouble  to  both  the  farmer,  the  lumber- 
man, and  the  villages.  In  fact  everyone  may 
indirectly  suffer  from  the  effects  of  too  much 
water.  Bridges  are  destroyed,  roads  rendered 
impassable  and  endless  confusion  is  the  result.  The 
following  piece  of  news  is  more  eloquent  than  any 
words  of  mine  on  the  subject.  It  appeared  in  the 
Gazette  (Montreal)  in  the  issue  of  September  9th, 
1913.  Curiously  enough,  I  was  on  my  way  to 
carry  on  my  studies  of  beaver  in  Ontario  when  it 
happened  to  catch  my  eye. 

BURSTING  OF  BEAVER  DAM. 

CAUSE   OF   BIG   SLIDES   ON   CANADIAN   PACIFIC. 

"  VANCOUVER,  B.C.,  September  8. — All  trains 
held  up  on  the  main  line  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  by 
slides  are  now  on  their  way  east  and  west.  The 
line  was  finally  cleared  at  eleven  o'clock  this 
morning.  Yesterday  the  population  of  Field,  the 
town  nearest  the  slide,  which  occurred  between 
Pallises  and  Glenogle,  25  miles  west  of  Field,  was 
increased  by  the  addition  of  2,000  passengers  who 
were  held  up  by  the  delay. 


148   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

"  The  slide,  which  was  300  feet  wide  and  30  feet 
deep,  was  caused  by  the  bursting  of  an  old  beaver 
dam  high  up  in  the  mountains.  District  Supt. 
MacKay,  at  Revelstoke,  says  that  the  dam  burst 
under  the  pressure  of  heavy  rain  storms  last  week. 
The  slide  carried  the  track  away  completely  and  it 
went  clear  across  the  Kicking  Horse  River,  damming 
that  stream  and  endangering  the  track  above  the 
slide.  The  river  was  completely  blocked  up,  and  it 
was  found  necessary  to  blast  a  new  channel  for  the 
stream  to  release  the  pent-up  waters  which  threat- 
ened to  cause  a  washout  further  east. 

"  The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  had  two  steam 
shovels  and  a  hundred  men  at  work.  Huge  trees 
were  brought  down  with  the  slide  and  boulders 
nearly  as  big  as  a  box  car  made  the  job  of  clearing 
the  track  a  difficult  one.  Some  of  the  trees  that 
came  down  bore  the  marks  of  the  little  animals' 
teeth,  and  the  supports  of  the  dam  erected  by  the 
beavers  were  plainly  marked  as  such  by  the  bleach- 
ing of  their  upper  ends  and  the  lower  points  coated 
with  mud  and  slime. 

"  Those  of  the  delayed  westbound  passengers  who 
arrived  this  morning  expressed  themselves  as  very 
well  satisfied  with  the  manner  in  which  they  were 
treated  by  the  company. 

"  Fourteen  trains,  east  and  west-bound,  were 
stalled  by  the  slide.  Some  of  the  passengers  were 
transferred  across  the  wash  slide  over  a  narrow  foot- 
bridge, and  others  who  were  bound  east  were  routed 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     149 

down  the  Arrow  Head  Lakes  and  by  way  of  the 
Crow's  Nest  Pass  east  again  over  the  main  line." 

It  is  fairly  safe  to  presume  that  the  builders  of 
the  large  dam  had  been  killed  some  time  ago,  so 
that  the  structure,  no  longer  in  repair,  broke  under 
the  pressure  of  the  water.  And  yet  the  railway 
people  are  bitterly  opposed  to  beavers  being  allowed 
to  exist,  because  occasionally  the  animals  dam  the 
culverts,  and  so  raise  the  water  against  the  railroad 
embankments.  No  credit  is  given  to  them  for  the 
thousands  of  floods  which  they  have  prevented. 
The  evil  and  not  the  good  is  noticed  and  the  animals 
are  condemned  without  a  fair  hearing.  Their  side 
of  the  case  is  too  often  entirely  disregarded,  and  the 
sentence  of  death  is  pronounced  to  the  misfortune 
of  all  concerned.  I  have  frequently  heard  it  argued 
by  those  interested  in  the  lumber  industries  of 
Canada  that  the  beaver  should  be  killed  off  because 
they  destroy  so  much  timber.  Even  to  the  casual 
observer  such  an  argument  must  appear  little  less 
than  ridiculous.  If  the  beaver  is  to  be  condemned 
on  that  score  what  might  be  said  of  the  lumber- 
man whose  reckless  waste  of  timber  is  apparent  to 
all  who  visit  the  northern  woods.  But  that  is  not 
a  subject  for  this  book.  Our  interest  is  in  the 
beaver.  Of  course  they  cut  down  trees,  cut  them 
down  in  order  that  they  may  have  food,  just  as  the 
lumberman  does  that  he  and  his  family  may  live 
and  earn  a  decent  livelihood.  The  question  is  what 
sort  of  trees  the  beaver  cut,  and  are  they  responsible 


150   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

for  any  real  destruction  ?  I  doubt  it.  To  begin 
with,  the  principal  trees  cut  for  food  purposes  are 
birch,  maple  and  poplars  of  several  species  which 
grow  in  low  lands  or  in  valleys,  where  their 
development  is  seldom  great.  Only  on  the  higher 
ground,  known  as  "  hardwood  ridges,"  do  they 
attain  a  size  which  gives  them  a  commercial  value, 
so  as  a  matter  of  fact  few,  if  any,  of  the  trees  cut 
down  by  the  beaver  would  ever  be  utilized  by  man. 
The  greatest  destruction  is  due  to  the  killing  of 
conifers  by  flooding  their  roots,  and  in  this  way  we 
must  acknowledge  that  a  certain  amount  of  damage 
may  be  charged  against  the  beaver.  But  even  so 
it  is  so  slight  that  it  is  scarcely  worth  considering, 
except  as  an  excuse  for  those  who  wish  a  pretext 
for  voting  against  the  preservation  of  the  little 
animals,  and  whose  actual  reason  is  too  often  that 
they  want  the  few  dollars  which  the  pelts  might 
bring  them. 

Having  barely  suggested  three  of  the  most 
beneficial  results  of  beaver  work  (I  say  barely 
suggested,  for  the  subject  might  well  be  carried 
much  further  and  many  facts  and  figures  given 
which  would  prove  the  points  still  more  convinc- 
ingly) we  might  now  turn  to  the  less  important 
effects  of  the  work.  Everyone  who  has  ever  been 
much  in  the  wilds  knows  the  value  of  water-ways. 
In  a  canoe  a  man  may  travel  with  but  little  trouble, 
and  may  even  allow  himself  many  comforts  that 
are  debarred  from  the  pack  if  weight  has  to  be 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'  WORK     151 

considered.  Every  portage,  when  canoeing,  is  an 
undesirable  change  from  the  quiet  monotony  of 
paddling,  so  the  wise  man  chooses,  so  far  as  he  is 
able,  a  route  which  will  allow  the  canoe  to  remain 
in  the  water  as  much  as  possible.  Such  a  man 
knows  the  value  of  going  through  beaver  country. 
Streams  which  might  otherwise  be  dry,  especially 
during  the  summer  months,  can  usually  be  counted 
on  to  have  enough  water  to  float  a  canoe  if  the 
beavers'  dams  are  in  repair,  and  so  many  a  weary 
mile  of  portaging  is  avoided.  Hundreds  of  miles 
have  I  travelled  by  canoe  either  alone  or  with  some 
hardy  woodsman,  and  hundreds  of  times  I  have 
blessed  the  little  beaver  for  the  streams  he  has  kept 
filled.  During  such  journeys,  each  time  a  dam  is 
reached  the  canoe  is  hauled  over  it  so  that  it  shall 
do  as  little  damage  as  possible,  and  by  the  paint 
marks  on  the  sharp-pointed  sticks  I  have  known 
that  many  another  man  has  had  reason  to  bless  the 
builders  of  those  dams. 

One  other  man  who  has  reason  to  wish  the 
preservation  of  the  beavers  is  the  fisherman,  as  the 
deep  pools  made  along  the  waterways  offer  a  cool 
retreat  for  the  trout  during  the  hot  weather,  and 
even  though  it  may  be  said  that  the  dams  restrict 
the  freedom  of  the  fish  in  going  up  and  down 
stream  there  are  opportunities  during  the  course  of 
each  year  when  the  water  overflows  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  can  get  past  almost  any  dam. 
The  fishermen,  therefore,  should  use  their  influ- 


152   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

ence  in  urging  protection  for  the  conservers  of 
water. 

Another  and  seldom  considered  result  of  beavers' 
work  is  the  effect  it  has  on  the  topography  of  a 
country.  Fresh  streams  and  rivers  are  made  and 
old  ones  diverted  to  an  extraordinary  extent  by  the 
building  of  dams  and  consequent  forming  of  ponds. 
Even  new  springs  are  brought  to  the  surface  by 
the  pressure  of  the  water  in  these  ponds.  Land- 
slides are  prevented  by  reducing  the  force  of  streams, 
and  in  many  ways  quite  unknown  to  us  the  con- 
tinued work  of  the  beaver  has  had  its  varied  effects 
on  the  land. 

The  whole  question  of  preserving  the  beaver 
should  receive  most  serious  attention,  for  even 
apart  from  the  sentimental  side  which  deserves 
consideration,  the  practical  value  of  the  animals  is 
undeniable.  The  idea  of  protecting  the  beaver  is 
of  long  standing.  As  far  back  as  1634  in  the 
Jesuit  Relations,  there  are  the  following  paragraphs  : 

"  We  (the  Jesuits)  shall  be  able  to  instruct  them 
(the  Indians)  easily  and  Beaver  will  greatly  multiply. 
These  animals  are  more  prolific  than  our  sheep  in 
France,  the  females  bearing  as  many  as  five  or  six 
each  year.  But  when  the  savages  find  a  lodge  of 
them  they  kill  all,  great  and  small,  male  and 
female.  There  is  danger  that  they  will  finally 
exterminate  the  species  in  this  region  (Three 
Rivers)  as  has  happened  among  the  Hurons  who 
have  not  a  single  beaver,  going  elsewhere  to  buy 


A  beaver  pond  which  may  eventually  become  meadow  land. 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'  WORK     153 

the  skins  they  bring  to  the  storehouse  of  these 
gentlemen."  "  Now  if  it  will  be  so  arranged  that 
in  the  course  of  time  each  family  of  our  Montaig- 
nais,  if  they  become  located,  will  take  its  own 
territory  for  hunting,  without  following  in  the 
tracks  of  its  neighbours  :  besides  we  will  counsel 
them  not  to  kill  any  but  the  males " — (this  is 
amusing  advice  as  the  two  sexes  cannot  be  told 
apart  by  their  appearance) — "  and  of  those  only  such 
as  are  large.  If  they  act  upon  this  advice  they  will 
have  meat  and  skins  in  the  greatest  abundance." 
In  another  volume  of  the  same  work  we  find  that 
Father  Le  Jeune  (1636)  offers  a  suggestion  in  the 
following  words  :  "  In  time,  parks  can  be  made  in 
which  to  keep  Beaver ;  these  would  be  treasure- 
houses,  besides  furnishing  us  with  meat  at  all 
times." 

It  is  true  that  to-day  the  prospect  for  their 
welfare  is  better  than  it  was  some  years  ago 
when  their  extermination  seemed  to  be  imminent. 
Fourteen  years  ago  I  spent  weeks  travelling  by 
canoe  through  what  was  formerly  one  of  the  best 
beaver  countries  in  Canada,  in  search  of  material 
for  some  drawings  on  beaver  and  their  work,  and 
though  I  had  with  me  an  experienced  Indian,  I 
only  found  one  colony,  a  small  one,  in  a  pond 
many  miles  north-west  of  Lake  Temiscaming.  All 
other  ponds  found  on  this  trip  were  deserted, 
nothing  but  the  decaying  lodges  and  dams  marked 
the  places  where  the  beavers  had  been.  Trappers 


154   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

had  relentlessly  pursued  them  from  pond  to  pond, 
and  scarcely  any  remained,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  they  were  even  then  supposed  to  be 
protected  by  law.  In  a  big  wild  country  it  is  far 
easier  to  make  than  enforce  laws,  especially  as  the 
law  prohibiting  the  killing  of  the  beaver  was 
obnoxious  to  so  many  whose  living  depended 
largely  on  the  trapping  or  selling  furs,  for  of  all 
fur-bearers  the  most  easily  obtained  are  the  beaver. 
The  law  was  in  fact  almost  a  dead  letter  as  very 
few  were  interested  in  its  being  observed.  About 
that  time  in  Canada  certain  men  began  to  realise 
the  value  of  proper  game  reserves,  and  be  it  said 
to  their  everlasting  credit  they  succeeded  in 
influencing  the  Government  to  carry  out  their 
ideas.  In  the  United  States,  Colonel  Roosevelt 
was  one  of  those  most  active  in  the  work  of  con- 
servation and  in  establishing  reservations,  and  if 
he  had  done  nothing  else  during  his  strenuous  life 
he  would  be  remembered  by  what  he  did  in  that 
direction.  In  Canada,  several  great  "parks"  or 
reserves  were  established,  one  particularly  I  know 
of  which  was  designed  for  a  "  fish  and  game  pre- 
serve, health  resort  and  pleasure  ground  for  the 
benefit,  advantage  and  enjoyment  of  the  people 
of  Ontario,  and  for  the  protection  of  the  fish, 
birds,  game  and  fur-bearing  animals  therein,"  etc. 
Leaving  aside  all  other  animals  and  birds,  we  will 
see  how  it  affected  the  beaver.  The  tract  chosen 
was  admirably  adapted  to  their  needs,  and  they 


RESULTS   OF  BEAVERS'  WORK     155 

soon  found  themselves,  as  they  thought,  safe  from 
the  continual  dread  of  the  steel  trap,  so  that  new 
colonies  established  themselves  and  increased  most 
wonderfully.  But  the  wretched  beasts  were  lulled 
into  a  false  security,  and  what  followed  for  obvious 
reasons  cannot  be  recounted  here.  Sufficient  is  it 
to  say  that  great  numbers  of  beavers  were  killed 
by  authority,  the  number  caught  and  killed  in  a 
single  year  I  dare  not  mention,  but  under  the 
clause  which  reads :  "  Upon  the  report  of  the 
Minister  that  any  species  of  fur-bearing  or  game 
animal  or  bird  has  increased  to  such  an  extent  that 
its  numbers  may  be  lessened  without  detriment  to 
the  Park,  or  the  purposes  for  which  the  Park  was 
established,  the  Lieutenant- Governor  in  Council 
may  authorise  the  taking  or  killing  of  such  animals 
or  birds  not  exceeding  the  number  specified  in 
Order  in  Council  under  the  direction  and  super- 
vision of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Park,"  and 
further,  in  speaking  of  furs,  skins,  etc.,  "  May  be 
sold  by  the  Minister  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sales 
shall  be  applied  toward  defraying  the  expenses  of 
the  Park."  The  unfortunate  and,  I  venture  to 
add,  injudicious  taking  of  beaver  has  continued. 
The  results  are  unsatisfactory  from  two  points  of 
view.  First,  that  the  beaver  has  been  captured  in 
the  most  accessible  parts  of  the  park,  so  that  one  of 
the  objects  of  the  reserve  is  defeated.  The  under- 
lying idea  was  that  in  protecting  the  wild  animals, 
and  so  bringing  them  to  a  condition  of  comparative 


156   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

tameness,  the  people  who  came  to  this  "  fish  and 
game  preserve,  health  resort  and  pleasure  ground  " 
should  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  wild  animals, 
the  most  interesting  of  all  being  the  beaver,  whose 
works  are  a  positive  education  for  young  and  old. 
But  these  people,  of  whom  I  have  met  many,  are 
filled  with  disappointment  and  disgust  when  they 
are  shown  abandoned  dams  and  lodges  close  to  the 
resorts  (within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  hotels  and 
camps)  and  are  told  that  the  builders  themselves 
have  been  trapped  and  either  killed  or  sent  away 
to  zoological  gardens  or  other  parts.  Such  treat- 
ment is  scarcely  fair  to  the  people  and  cannot  be 
considered  wise.  The  country  is  certainly  rich 
enough  to  support  the  parks  without  the  necessity 
of  getting  money  from  the  sale  of  the  animals 
which  the  people  would  far  rather  see  alive  and  in 
their  natural  conditions  than  in  ' '  returns  for  sale 
of  skins."  But  the  second  objection  is  even  more 
far-reaching  though  more  subtle,  because  people 
do  not  generally  grasp  its  significance.  The  trapper 
is  told  that  the  beaver  are  absolutely  protected  by 
law  and  that  to  kill  one  involves  the  offender  in 
serious  trouble,  such  as  imprisonment,  fine  and 
confiscation  of  his  traps.  In  other  words,  by  strict 
Government  orders  beaver  may  not  be  killed. 
These  trappers  are  usually  men  of  fair-play  who 
understand  rude  justice  better  than  obscure  reason- 
ings. They  believe  that  what  is  food  for  the  goose 
is  food  for  the  gander,  and  that  if  they,  who  trap 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'  WORK     157 

only  as  a  means  of  livelihood  may  not  kill  beaver 
neither  must  anyone  else,  except  possibly  as 
specimens  for  museums  or  such  special  purpose, 
but  that  the  Government  should  indulge  in  beaver 
killing  for  commercial  reasons  is  past  their  under- 
standing. To  fully  appreciate  what  I  am  speaking 
of  it  might  be  well  to  explain  the  situation  a  little 
more  clearly.  The  land  which  has  been  set  apart 
as  a  game  reserve  and  park  was  formerly  occupied 
by  trappers  who  made  their  living  out  of  the  wild 
lands.  According  to  their  unwritten  law,  a  man 
on  establishing  a  claim  has  a  right  to  a  certain 
tract  of  country  for  trapping  purposes.  These 
rights  are  regarded  as  almost  sacred,  and  the  man 
who  poaches  on  another's  boundary  is  held  to  be 
little  better  than  a  thief.  These  rights  go  from 
father  to  son,  with  the  understanding,  1  believe, 
that  if  the  land  is  not  trapped  for  a  specified 
number  of  years,  the  privilege  is  forfeited.  In 
order  to  get  possession  of  a  desirable  tract,  men 
will  go  great  distances  and  endure  untold  hard- 
ships, with  the  understanding  that  once  they  have 
succeeded  in  finding  what  they  want  it  is  to  be 
theirs,  unless  sold  by  the  Government.  It  will  be 
seen  by  this  that  the  best  trappers  who  for  years 
had  set  their  line  of  traps  through  the  land  which 
is  now  a  park  felt  their  expulsion  very  severely. 
To  make  amends  to  them  a  few  were  taken  on  as 
rangers  or  wardens.  The  men,  though  feeling 
themselves  in  hard  luck,  realised  at  heart  that  it 


158   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

was  after  all  for  a  good  purpose,  for  well  enough 
they  knew  that  unless  the  beaver  was  protected 
it  would  be  but  a  few  years  before  they  would  be 
a  thing  of  the  past,  gone  to  join  the  dodo  and 
others  that  used  to  be.  So  they  took  their 
medicine  like  men,  but  when  they  saw  that  the 
park  was  being  used  for  trapping  purposes,  and 
that  the  skins  were  being  sold  by  the  Government, 
their  spirits  rose  in  rebellion.  More  especially 
when  they  themselves  as  employees  of  the  park 
had  to  take  part  in  trapping  the  animals.  They 
were  for  the  most  part  quite  willing  to  forego 
their  share  of  beavers'  skins  if  the  beaver  was 
to  be  really  protected,  but  they  do  not  see  the 
fairness  of  the  present  situation,  and  the  result  is 
that  men  who  otherwise  would  have  honestly 
observed  laws  which  were  for  the  welfare  of  the 
greater  number  are  now  in  many  instances  doing 
their  best  to  get  a  share  of  the  spoils.  They  do 
not  see  that  it  is  any  longer  a  question  of  honour, 
for  if  beaver  may  be  killed,  why  should  not  they 
as  well  as  anyone  else,  reap  the  benefit  ?  Laws 
relating  to  wild  animals  in  a  great  country  which 
has  so  small  a  population  and  so  much  wild  land 
can  only  be  of  real  value  if  they  are  in  accordance 
with  popular  opinion,  but  just  as  soon  as  the  public 
considers  a  law  unfair  the  difficulties  of  enforcing 
that  law  become  practically  insurmountable.  What 
I  have  written  is  not  a  matter  of  theory,  but  is  the 
result  of  observation  and  conversation  with  the 


A  fresh  beaver-cut  stump,  showing  the  keen  cutting  through  the  hard 
birch. 


Lodge  built  by  beaver  in  the  Washington  Zoo. 


Dam  built  by  beaver  in  the  Washington  Zoo. 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     159 

men  interested  in  the  question.  There  is  absolutely 
no  desire  to  tread  on  anybody's  toes,  but  rather  to 
call  attention  to  conditions  which  might  so  easily 
be  remedied,  for  my  interest  is  simply  with  the 
beaver,  and  with  protection  of  wild  life  in  general. 

I  know  it  has  been  asserted  that  beaver  were 
too  abundant  in  a  certain  park,  but  whether  the 
assertion  was  justified  by  facts  I  have  serious 
doubts.  At  any  rate,  before  radical  measures  were 
adopted,  it  would  have  been  advisable  to  have  had 
the  expert  opinion  of  an  entirely  disinterested 
person,  or,  better  still,  of  many  persons,  and  if 
their  findings  resulted  in  a  disagreement  then  the 
beaver  should  have  had  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 

In  Newfoundland  the  question  of  beaver  protec- 
tion needs  most  serious  consideration  and  a  definite 
policy  lined  out  for  future  plans.  Eleven  years 
ago  I  first  visited  that  country,  and  each  succeeding 
year  until  1912,  when  I  was  last  there.  During 
that  period  of  ten  years  ample  opportunities  were 
afforded  me  of  observing  the  beaver  and  the 
extraordinary  results  of  what  protection  can  do. 
During  the  first  four  visits  to  the  island  /  never 
saw  but  one  beaver  colony,  and  that  a  very  small 
one  in  a  remote  and  inaccessible  part  of  the  country. 
In  1912  1  counted  no  less  than  twenty-seven 
occupied  lodges  within  a  short  day  of  walking  and 
canoeing.  What  has  happened  in  that  one  district 
is  simply  an  indication  of  what  might  be  expected 
elsewhere,  and  goes  to  show  how  rapidly  the  whole 


160   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

country  might  be  re-colonised  by  the  interesting 
animals.  Their  abundance  would  be  a  great  source 
of  pleasure  to  all  who  visit  the  delightful  island, 
and  would  add  one  more  to  the  list  of  attractions 
which  it  has  to  offer.  The  one  condition  which 
has  retarded  the  increase  of  the  beaver  is  that  the 
law  for  their  protection  has  been  so  often  changed. 
The  harm  done  is  that  each  time  the  close  season 
was  drawing  to  an  end,  beavers  were  surreptitiously 
killed  in  anticipation  of  the  time  when  the  skins 
might  legally  be  offered  for  sale.  Then  almost  at 
the  last  moment  the  close  season  would  be  extended 
for  another  few  years,  very  much  to  the  disgust  of 
those  who  were  storing  skins  at  considerable  risk, 
for,  justly  enough,  their  discovery  would  mean  a 
heavy  fine.  It  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  fair 
numbers  of  beaver  were  killed  by  those  who  wanted 
to  be  ahead  of  their  neighbours,  for  competition 
must  have  been  keen. 

An  animal  which  is  as  easily  trapped  or  in  other 
ways  killed,  as  the  beaver,  requires  the  most  careful 
protection,  and  laws  should  be  considered  with  the 
most  thorough  understanding  of  the  conditions 
governing  their  life  and  the  trappers'  powers.  Had 
the  close  season  (in  Newfoundland)  terminated  two 
years  ago,  the  entire  good  gained  by  the  preceding 
years  would  have  been  lost.  For  the  trapper, 
having  learned  by  experience  that  laws  can  be  made 
and  suddenly  changed  for  the  protection  of  the 
beaver,  would  have  made  the  most  of  the  oppor- 


RESULTS   OF  BEAVERS'   WORK     161 

tunity  and  practically  every  colony  would  have  been 
sacked  within  a  very  few  months,  and  small  indeed 
would  have  been  the  number  of  survivors.  How 
to  devise  a  sound  scheme  which  would  be  fair  on  both 
trapper  and  beaver  is  no  easy  task.  But  the  Govern- 
ment has  been  so  careful  and  far-sighted  in  its  game 
laws,  having  set  a  standard  which  might  well  be 
considered  by  other  countries,  that  I  offer  these 
suggestions  with  due  humility  in  the  hope  that 
they  may  do  some  good.  To  open  up  a  definite 
tract  of  country  for  a  certain  period  has  the 
disadvantage  that  it  would  mean  the  killing  off  of 
every  beaver  in  that  tract,  and  would  entail  a  great 
deal  of  expense  to  the  Government  in  the  way  of 
patrols  in  order  to  prevent  poaching  in  the  closed 
territory.  Probably  the  soundest  scheme  would 
be  to  licence  every  trapper,  and  furnish  him  with  a 
limited  number  of  labels,  one  to  be  attached  to 
every  beaver  skin  before  allowing  it  to  be  sold. 
This  would  serve  the  double  purpose  of  limiting  the 
number  of  beaver  killed,  and  keeping  track  of  the 
total  amount  with  the  least  expense.  Of  course  it 
would  be  necessary  to  make  the  selling  of  any  un- 
labelled  skins  absolutely  illegal,  with  punishment 
severe  enough  to  make  it  effective.  Imprisonment 
alone  could  do  that,  as  the  penalty  would  be  most 
likely  to  fall  on  those  to  whom  the  very  name  of 
prison  is  most  appalling.  The  number  of  labels 
issued  should  be  strictly  limited  with  due  reference 
to  the  number  of  beaver.  No  beaver  should  be 
R.B.  M 


162   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

taken  until  they  are  thoroughly  established  and 
really  abundant,  neither  should  they  ever  be  molested 
in  the  reserves  under  any  conditions,  in  order  that 
people  might  have  the  opportunity  of  seeing  them 
living  peacefully  and  without  suspicion.  For- 
tunately they  are  amenable  to  protection  and  they 
adapt  themselves  readily  to  new  conditions.  In 
zoological  gardens  and  private  parks  they  do  re- 
markably well,  even  though  they  can  never  be 
said  to  be  show  animals  in  any  sense  of  the  word 
when  in  captivity,  owing  to  their  crepuscular 
and  nocturnal  habits. 

The  following  account  of  an  experience  I  had 
with  beaver  in  the  Washington  Zoological  Gardens 
may  be  of  interest,  for  even  though  it  was  published 
elsewhere  many  years  ago  it  still  shows  something 
of  the  animal  in  captivity. 

THE   OUTCAST* 

A   TRUE    STORY   OF   A    CAPTIVE    BEAVER 

IT  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  pathetic  sight 
than  that  of  the  poor  old  beaver  solitary  and  so 
entirely  alone,  within  sight  of  his  comrades  yet  not 
among  them,  unable  to  join  in  their  gkmes  and 
their  work,  living  his  lonely  life  like  a  hermit ; 
within  sight  of  his  fellow  men,  but  separated  by  a 
barrier  as  strange  as  it  was  secure.  After  I  had 
waited  for  many  hours  watching  quietly  in  the 

*  First  published  in  Everybody's  Magazine. 


The  outcast. 


A  rough  example  of  beaver  lodge  in  which  very  little  sod  or  mud  has  as 
yet  been  used. 


Type  of  lodge  built  on  an  island. 


RESULTS    OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     163 

small  enclosure  above  the  large  beaver  pond  in  the 
Washington  Zoo,  there  was  a  movement  in  front 
of  the  large  hollow  opening  out  on  the  water,  and 
a  head  peeped  out  to  see  that  all  was  safe  for  the 
owner's  regular  evening  exercise.  The  sun  had 
long  since  disappeared  behind  the  hill  and  every- 
thing had  the  quiet  hush  of  evening.  The  deep 
roaring  of  the  lions  and  tigers  and  the  more  distant 
barking  of  the  seals  alone  disturbed  this  silence, 
when  the  beaver,  fancying  himself  alone,  plunged 
noiselessly  into  the  water,  diving  beneath  the  log 
that  lay  partly  submerged  but  a  few  feet  from  the 
narrow  entrance  and  reappeared  in  the  middle  ot 
the  small  pond.  Almost  like  a  short  piece  of  drift 
wood  he  lay  with  his  tiny  dark  eyes  gazing  intently 
at  me  where  I  stood  in  the  shadow  of  a  small  tree. 
Observing  no  movement  and  not  being  of  a 
suspicious  nature  he  soon  swam  to  shore  and 
immediately  walked,  moving  for  all  the  world 
like  a  large  smoothly  coated  Canadian  porcupine, 
straight  to  the  corner  of  the  fence  that  divided  him 
from  his  relatives.  Once  there  he  stood  on  his 
hind  legs  and  tail,  and  with  front  feet  resting  on  the 
horizontal  bar,  he  gazed,  with  a  longing  wistful 
look  shown  by  his  entire  attitude,  at  the  lodge  in 
which  the  other  beavers  lived.  Never  surely  was 
loneliness  shown  more  eloquently  than  by  this  soft 
furred  animal  as  he  stood  there,  the  very  picture  of 
solitude  in  the  midst  of  so  many,  as  a  stranger  in  a 
city  where  the  fences  of  convention,  bars  as  rigid  as 

M2 


164      ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

those  which  surrounded  this  beaver,  keep  him  from 
personal  intercourse  with  his  fellow  men.  For  ten 
minutes  he  remained  thus,  motionless  except  when, 
as  though  no  longer  able  to  contain  his  misery,  he 
would  bite  the  hard,  cold  bars  of  iron,  as  he  had 
bitten  them  every  evening  for  three,  long,  weary 
months.  Did  he  imagine  that  perhaps  some  day 
he  would  find  the  bars  had  softened  and  would 
yield  to  his  chisel-edged  teeth,  teeth  that,  were  the 
animal  in  his  native  land,  would  work  their  way 
through  anything  save  the  stones  or  the  cruel  metal 
of  the  merciless  steel  traps?  These  alone  would 
defy  them. 

Wishing  to  examine  more  closely  the  interesting 
animal  I  approached  quietly,  hoping  not  to  disturb 
him,  but  he  felt  uncertain  of  my  intentions,  and 
before  I  had  lessened  the  distance  between  us  by 
more  than  a  few  steps,  he  dropped  on  all  fours,  and 
after  regarding  me  curiously  for  a  minute  or  two 
turned  and  made  for  the  water.  Once  there  he 
felt  more  secure,  for  at  the  slightest  sign  of  danger 
he  would,  as  he  had  done  many  times  in  his  far-oft 
Canadian  wilds,  dive  in  and  loudly  slap  the  water 
with  his  tail  to  warn  his  friends  and  then 
instantly  disappear  from  view  beneath  the  water 
and  make  straight  for  his  burrow.  His  curiosity, 
however,  soon  got  the  better  of  his  natural  timidity, 
and  out  he  came  with  the  usual  quiet  splash  and 
dive.  This  time  I  stood  near  his  regular  landing 
place,  which  was  as  clearly  marked  as  an  otter's 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     165 

slide,  and  wondered  whether  he  would  venture 
near.  Slowly  he  swam  towards  me,  stopping 
repeatedly  to  investigate.  What  it  was  that  gave 
him  confidence  I  could  not  tell,  but  suddenly  he 
apparently  made  up  his  mind  that  there  was  no 
occasion  for  fear  and  he  moved  quickly,  landing 
within  three  feet  of  where  1  stood.  Once  on  shore 
he  again  doubted  the  wisdom  of  his  course  and 
hesitated,  not  quite  liking  to  pass  so  near  a  human 
being  ;  sitting  half  way  up  on  his  hind  legs  and 
tail  with  his  small  fore  paws  held  close  beneath  his 
chin  he  carefully  watched  me,  his  nose  moving 
slowly  as  though  trying  to  scent  an  enemy.  A 
few  minutes  sufficed  for  this,  and  then  we  had 
established  a  degree  of  mutual  confidence  at  once 
satisfactory  and  useful,  for  I  hoped  on  the  following 
day  to  take  a  few  photos  of  my  new  friend,  and  it 
is  highly  desirable  that  we  should  be  on  a  footing 
of  trust  with  our  model.  It  was  rapidly  becoming 
dark,  too  dark,  indeed,  for  me  to  distinguish  much 
more  than  the  general  form  of  the  beaver.  So 
I  left  him  to  his  thoughts,  intending  to  visit  him 
again  the  following  afternoon. 

That  the  reader  may  understand  something  of 
the  position  of  this  poor  old  hermit  a  few  words 
of  explanation  are  needed.  When  the  beavers 
were  first  brought  to  the  Zoo  they  were  given  for 
their  new  home  a  small  enclosure  of  perhaps 
two  acres.  Through  this  ran  a  very  small  stream, 
the  banks  of  which  were  fairly  well  wooded.  It 


166   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

was  but  a  short  time  before  the  industrious  animals 
commenced  work;  the  stream  was  so  small  that 
they  were  unable  even  to  swim  in  it,  so  a  dam 
was  planned  and  rapidly  constructed.  Trees  were 
felled,  some  of  which  were  nearly  eighteen  inches  in 
diameter ;  from  these  the  branches  were  cut,  then 
divided  into  convenient  lengths  and  used  in  the 
dam  building ;  the  bottom  of  the  stream  was 
dredged  and  the  mud  and  roots  used  to  finish  oft 
the  structure  and  make  it  watertight.  The  number 
of  trees  decreased  so  rapidly  through  the  industry 
of  those  four-footed  engineers  that  it  became 
necessary  to  protect  those  that  still  remained 
unharmed  with  heavy  wire  netting.  This  at  first 
was  fastened  to  the  tree  in  direct  contact,  but  it 
was  soon  discovered  that  the  beavers  could  cut  the 
tree  between  the  meshes.  To  prevent  this  an  iron 
rail,  to  which  the  wire  was  attached,  was  placed  at 
a  little  distance  from  the  tree.  The  dam  was  by 
this  time  fairly  large,  but  not  as  large  as  was 
needed.  More  material  was  needed,  so  a  great 
quantity  of  cut  wood  was  thrown  into  the  enclosure 
and  was  immediately  utilised  by  the  beavers  ;  in  a 
short  time  the  level  of  the  water  was  raised  many 
feet  with  the  result  that  a  pond  of  considerable 
dimensions  was  formed.  Three  other  dams  were 
also  built  down  stream  from  the  main  structure, 
about  fifty  feet  apart.  It  was  late  summer  by  the 
time  this  work  was  accomplished,  and  a  house  had 
to  be  built  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  for  with 


•S3 


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a'S 

CSrfl 

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I-8 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'  WORK     167 

the  arrival  of  cold  weather  all  building  operation 
must  cease  as  the  mud  freezes  and  of  course 
becomes  too  hard  to  work.  The  house  or  lodge,  as 
it  is  more  properly  named,  is  outwardly  a  great 
mass  of  loose  sticks,  some  of  which  might  from 
their  size  be  called  logs,  filled  in  with  earth  and 
roots  and  covered  over  with  mud.  In  the  centre  very 
little  mud  is  used,  for  there  is  a  sort  of  irregular 
chimney,  which  serves  as  a  ventilator.  Inside  the 
house  all  is  darkness  or  very  nearly  so.  The  walls 
are  rough,  but  the  floor,  which  is  raised  a  few 
inches  above  the  water,  is  firm  and  smooth,  made 
of  fine  twigs  beaten  into  the  earth.  The  entrances, 
for  there  are  usually  two  or  more,  are  several  feet 
beneath  the  water.  What  impressed  me  on  seeing 
the  lodge  and  dams  built  by  the  beavers  in  the 
Washington  Zoo  was  the  fact  that  in  no  way 
did  they  differ  from  those  in  the  most  remote  part 
of  Canada. 

When  spring  came  it  was  found  that  the  beavers 
had  increased  in  numbers,  very  much  to  the  delight 
of  all  concerned,  but  the  following  year,  when  they 
were  all  full  grown,  the  rules  and  regulations  of 
beaverdom  were  put  in  force.  They  decided  that 
there  was  one  too  many,  and  according  to  their 
laws  he  must  either  betake  himself  to  some  other 
locality  or  submit  to  an  untimely  death.  Now, 
the  victim  chosen — whether  by  ballot  or  by  what- 
ever means  who  can  say  ? — was  our  old  friend,  and 
as  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  leave  the  colony  of 


168   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

his  own  accord,  death  would  have  been  his  lot  had 
not  the  keeper  come  to  the  rescue  and  given  him  a 
cage  where  he  might  live  until  a  better  place  could 
be  provided.  It  was  two  or  three  months  before 
he  was  turned  into  the  enclosure  hi  which  I  found 
him.  This  bordered  on  his  old  home  and  was 
separated  only  by  an  iron  fence.  Being  a  solitary 
bachelor  he  has  not  as  yet  set  up  housekeeping  ; 
perhaps  he  thinks  it  scarcely  worth  while  building 
a  house  until  he  has  a  mate.  As  it  is  he  has  made 
a  burrow  in  the  bank  with  the  entrance  at  the  level 
of  the  water.  In  this  he  spends  his  days,  seldom 
coming  out  at  all  before  sunset,  frequently  much 
later.  When  out  he  spends  much  of  his  time 
watching  his  old  companions,  while  they  in  turn 
seem  to  take  but  little  notice  of  him.  So  much  for 
the  reason  of  his  being  alone. 

On  the  occasion  of  my  second  visit  to  this  soli- 
tary beaver  I  brought  my  camera,  with  the  fond 
hope  of  being  able  to  secure  a  few  photographs, 
even  though  the  light  might  not  be  suitable  for 
such  work.  It  was  nearly  five  o'clock  before  he 
made  his  appearance,  and  then,  as  on  the  day  pre- 
vious, after  emerging  from  his  burrow,  he  lay 
quietly  on  the  water  taking  in  the  situation  before 
daring  to  come  ashore.  1  had  placed  the  camera 
so  that  if  he  went  to  his  usual  corner  it  would  not 
be  necessary  to  move  it.  After  satisfying  himself 
that  all  was  well  he  landed  and  walking  past  the 
camera  took  up  his  position  at  the  fence  corner. 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     169 

Standing  erect  as  on  the  previous  day  he  gazed 
intently  at  the  home  of  his  old  friends.  They  had 
not  yet  made  their  appearance,  but  from  their  lodge 
came  the  sound  of  muffled  voices,  for  they  were 
holding  an  animated  conversation  in  beaver  lan- 
guage, which  sounds  like  a  strange  subdued  mixture 
of  children's  voices  and  very  young  pigs  squealing, 
varied  now  and  then  by  a  puppy's  cry.  Whether 
or  not  our  beaver  understood  the  drift  of  their  dis- 
cussion would  be  difficult  to  say,  but  certain  it  is 
that  he  seemed  to  be  very  much  interested  by  it 
all.  While  he  stood  there  almost  as  motionless  as  a 
statue,  I  made  several  exposures,  bringing  the  camera 
nearer  and  nearer  each  time  ;  when  within  almost 
five  feet  he  turned  round  to  examine  the  strange 
one-eyed  monster  that  was  approaching  so  quietly. 
It  evidently  puzzled  him  without  frightening  him. 
After  a  few  moments  his  curiosity  got  the  upper 
hand  and  he  came  straight  for  it,  slowly  of  course, 
and  hesitating  slightly  at  each  step.  As  he  came 
nearer  I  retreated  that  I  might  the  better  see  what 
he  would  do.  To  begin  with  each  leg  of  the  tripod 
was  scrutinised  most  carefully ;  these  he  evidently 
concluded  were  harmless,  so  resting  his  hands  on 
one  of  the  legs  he  reached  up  and  took  a  good  look 
at  the  camera  itself.  His  nose  must  have  discovered 
some  new  odour,  for  he  sniffed  first  on  one  side 
then  on  the  other  for  many  minutes  ;  suddenly  his 
attention  was  attracted  by  the  rubber  ball  belong- 
ing to  the  shutter.  This  was  moving  at  the  end 


170   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

of  the  tube,  and  he  thought  that  perhaps  it  was 
something  new  in  the  way  of  food.  In  another 
moment  the  bulb  would  have  been  rendered  useless, 
for  his  sharp  teeth  would  have  instantly  punctured 
it.  At  this  critical  moment  I  had  to  interfere, 
very  much  to  his  disgust,  as  the  poor  old  chap 
evidently  thought  he  had  been  robbed  of  a  delicious 
morsel,  arid  I  regretted  not  having  brought  a  carrot 
or  sweet  potato  for  him.  Wishing  to  make  friends 
with  this  strange  animal,  I  sat  down  near  the 
camera.  Immediately  he  came  near,  so  near  that 
I  could  put  my  hand  on  his  soft,  furry  back, 
wondering  at  the  time  what  would  happen  if  he 
should  take  it  into  his  head  to  use  his  teeth.  For 
with  their  extraordinary  strength  and  sharpness  the 
amputation  of  a  finger  or  two  would  have  been  the 
work  of  an  instant ;  however,  he  was  a  very  well 
meaning  old  fellow  and  contented  himself  with 
walking  slowly  round  me,  stopping  occasionally  to 
sit  on  his  hind  legs  and  take  a  general  survey  of 
the  curious  being  who  went  about  with  the  three- 
legged  thing — the  camera.  Satisfied  that  he  might 
safely  leave  me  for  a  short  while  he  went  to  his 
corner,  and  after  looking  for  a  few  minutes  at  his 
neighbours  who  were  swimming  about  in  their 
pond  he  went  down  his  path  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  hi  his  own  peculiar,  noiseless  way,  plunged  in 
for  a  swim.  He  soon  discovered  a  stick  upon  which 
some  bark  still  remained.  This  he  brought  ashore 
and  holding  it  with  his  front  paws,  or  hands  as  they 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'  WORK     171 

might  well  be  called,  proceeded  to  make  a  meal 
therefrom.  It  required  but  a  few  minutes  to  strip 
the  stick  of  its  bark,  after  which  it  served  no 
further  use  and  was  left  in  the  water  while  the 
animal  swam  around  making  a  tour  of  investiga- 
tion, which  resulted  in  his  not  finding  anything 
more  suited  to  his  taste.  So  coming  ashore  near 
where  I  stood,  he  commenced  his  evening  toilet, 
which  was  interesting  to  watch.  To  begin  with, 
instead  of  sitting  with  his  large  flat-ribbed  tail 
protruding  behind  him  he  tucked  it  forward  between 
his  hind  legs  and  sat  upon  it.  Then  with  his  hands 
he  carefully  combed  his  long  fur,  using  both  hands 
at  the  same  time.  There  were,  however,  many 
places  that  he  could  not  reach  in  this  way,  for  his 
arms  are  very  short.  So  with  one  hind  foot  at  a 
time  he  combed  these  otherwise  inaccessible  parts  ; 
the  entire  operation  was  performed  with  the  utmost 
deliberation  and  care,  and  occupied  nearly  twenty 
minutes,  so  that  by  the  time  it  was  completed 
the  daylight  had  almost  vanished.  My  presence 
did  not  appear  to  disturb  him  in  the  very  least, 
though  I  sat  quite  close  that  I  might  the  better 
note  his  various  attitudes,  for  it  is  not  often  one 
has  an  opportunity  of  watching  a  beaver  at  such 
close  range.  Suddenly  the  night  watchman,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  feed  the  nocturnal  animals,  arrived 
with  a  basket  of  stale  bread  and  vegetables.  These 
he  threw  into  the  enclosure,  the  vegetables  on  the 
bank  and  the  bread  into  the  pond.  Mr.  Beaver  well 


172   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

understood  the  meaning  of  those  splashes,  for  he 
instantly  made  for  the  water,  utterly  regardless  of 
his  newly  dried  jacket  about  which  he  had  taken 
so  much  trouble,  and  seizing  one  of  the  loaves  of 
bread  in  his  hands  swam  to  a  shallow  part  of  the 
pond  to  eat  it.  He  held  the  bread  in  his  hands, 
much  after  the  manner  in  which  a  squirrel  holds  a 
nut,  but  the  bread  being  wet  began  to  fall  apart 
so  he  made  a  bowl  of  his  hands  and  lapped  the  soft 
bread  out  of  it ;  in  this  way  not  a  particle  was  lost. 
Piece  after  piece  of  bread  was  eaten,  after  which 
he  came  ashore  and  made  short  work  of  the  carrots 
and  potatoes.  It  was  quite  dark  by  this  time,  and 
as  it  was  impossible  to  see  anything  more  I  was 
forced  to  leave  him,  with  the  hope  that  in  the  near 
future  I  might  continue  the  acquaintance  so  plea- 
santly begun.  When  that  day  comes  let  us  hope 
he  will  no  longer  be  solitary  but  will  have  taken  to 
himself  a  mate  whose  disposition  will  be  as  good 
as  his  own. 

From  what  has  been  said  in  the  preceding  pages, 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  beaver  is  a  gentle  creature, 
free  from  desire  to  harm  anybody.  As  pets  they 
become  extremely  affectionate  and  dependent  on 
their  masters.  Mills*  describes  an  interesting 
experience  with  a  pet  beaver  to  which  he  became 
deeply  attached.  "  Atop  the  pack  on  the  horse's 
back  he  travelled, — a  ride  which  he  evidently 

*  "  In  Beaver  World." 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     173 

enjoyed.  He  was  never  in  a  hurry  to  be  taken  off, 
and  at  moving  time  he  was  always  waiting  eagerly 
to  be  lifted  on.  As  soon  as  he  noticed  me  arrang- 
ing the  pack,  he  came  close,  and  before  I  was  quite 
ready  for  him  he  rose  up,  extending  his  hands  in 
rapid  succession  beggingly,  and  with  a  whining 
sort  of  muttering  pleaded  to  be  lifted  at  once  to 
his  seat  on  the  pack."  There  are  many  instances 
of  Indians  having  tame  beavers,  some  of  which 
grew  up  in  the  family  having  been  taken  as  kittens 
and  nursed  by  the  squaws.  From  this  and  all 
other  accounts  the  beaver  is  shown  to  be  a  delight- 
ful pet,  cleanly  in  habit,  good-tempered,  quiet 
and  gentle.  The  only  objection  to  them  is  their 
predilection  for  mistaking  chair  and  table  legs  for 
growing  trees  and  cutting  them  down.  The  fact 
that  they  cut  down  trees  is  rather  a  serious  argument 
against  having  them  at  large  in  private  parks.  The 
only  way  to  keep  them  and  not  suffer  from  their 
peculiar  habits  is  to  set  aside  a  portion  of  a  stream 
for  their  use,  and  have  a  vigorous  growth  of  aspens 
or  some  equally  quick-growing  tree  partitioned  off 
into  small  lots.  A  low  iron  fence  is  sufficient  to 
keep  the  beaver  out  and  they  could  be  allowed 
access  to  one  part  until  they  had  fairly  well  cleared 
it  of  timber.  A  certain  number  of  trees  could 
always  be  safeguarded  by  means  of  wire  netting. 
The  animals,  having  to  do  the  work  of  cutting, 
would  keep  in  good  condition,  far  healthier  and 
more  vigorous  than  if  fed  with  cut  up  food.  In 


174   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

order  that  the  supply  of  growing  trees  be  not  too 
rapidly  depleted,  some  scraps  of  brush  or  poles 
could  be  given  occasionally.  Sir  Edmund  Loder 
has  a  very  ingenious  scheme  for  feeding  the  small 
colony  of  beaver  that  he  keeps  in  his  fascinating 
place  in  Sussex.  A  small  hole  rilled  with  several 
large  stones  serves  as  a  holder  for  trees  or  poles  or 
even  stout  branches,  so  that  the  beaver,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  bark,  must  cut  it  down  just  as  they 
would  if  it  were  a  growing  tree.  Unfortunately 
most  of  this  colony  was  carried  away  by  a  great 
flood,  the  animals  being  eventually  killed  in  the 
sea  by  fishermen  who  were  much  puzzled  by  seeing 
such  unusual  creatures  swimming  about  in  the 
harbour.  All  large  trees  in  a  beaver  enclosure 
must  be  very  carefully  protected,  for  no  matter  how 
large  they  may  be,  the  beaver  will  girdle  them  and 
eat  the  bark.  Most  of  the  work  done  by  the 
animals  in  their  wild  state  will  be  almost  equally 
well  done  in  captivity,  so  that  a  small  beaver  colony 
is  always  an  object  of  intense  interest  and  may  be 
maintained  at  comparatively  small  cost  in  money 
and  labour. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  as  people  realise  more 
fully  the  interest  and  value  of  these  animals  they 
will  take  steps  for  their  protection  in  all  countries 
suited  to  their  needs.  It  would  indeed  be  a  shame 
to  see  such  creatures  exterminated.  There  would 
be  nothing  to  take  their  place,  and  I  find  wherever 
I  go,  and  whatever  class  and  age  of  people  I  am 


In  spite  of  the  timidity  of  beaver  they  sometimes  select  curiously  public 
places  for  their  scene  of  operations.  The  dam  shown  in  this  picture  is 
alongside  a  railroad  embankment  over  which  trains  passed  at  frequent 
intervals. 


Beavers'  attempt  to  improve  on  man's  work.  The  log  darn  was  built  by 
lumber  men  ;  the  beaver  did  not  approve,  so  they  placed  a  small  dam 
(shown  near  the  rocks  to  the  right  of  the  centre),  which  held  back  the 
water  to  their  complete  satisfaction. 


RESULTS   OF   BEAVERS'   WORK     175 

with,  the  subject  of  beaver  and  their  work  is  always 
of  interest,  far  more  so  than  any  other  animal.  For 
whether  a  person  knows  anything  of  animals  or 
not,  the  extraordinary  engineering  feats  of  the 
beaver,  their  home  life  and  habits,  compel  atten- 
tion. It  is  a  pity  that  there  is  not  a  broader 
knowledge  on  the  subject,  so  that  those  who  are  in 
a  way  making  their  living  from  the  results  of  the 
little  animals'  work  should  realise  to  whom  they 
owe  the  debt. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  over  to  North 
America,  they  found  a  wilderness  where  they 
wanted  to  start  their  new  homes.  They  most  often 
selected  what  they  considered  the  natural  meadows 
for  their  homesteads.  These  broad  valleys  in 
which  they  found  rich  luxuriant  grasses  waving  in 
the  summer  breezes  appealed  to  them.  In  such 
places  their  cattle  would  feed  in  comfort  and 
abundance.  Hay  too  could  be  gathered  to  fill 
their  rude  barns,  that  their  stock  might  be  well  fed 
during  the  long  bitter  winters.  The  meadows 
always  contained  a  stream  where  the  animals  could 
be  watered  without  trouble.  In  fact  the  pioneers 
found  farms  almost  ready  made,  awaiting  only  the 
plough  to  turn  the  rich  soil  into  the  finest  crop- 
producing  land.  And  all  without  the  tedious 
labour  of  clearing,  and  only  those  who  have 
attempted  such  work  can  realise  the  amount  of 
labour  involved  in  clearing  thickly  timbered  land. 
But  a  small  part  of  the  work  can  be  done  during 


176   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

the  slack  winter  season,  during  which  time  trees 
are  cut,  but  the  hard  stumps  are  frozen  into  the 
ground,  and  not  until  the  soft  rains  have  thawed 
the  earth  can  they  be  removed.  Rotting  them  out 
is  a  slow  process  involving  many  years  during 
which  cultivation  of  the  stump-strewn  land  is 
difficult  and  unsatisfactory.  Blasting  them  out  is 
far  too  expensive  for  the  poor  settler,  so  that  every 
acre  of  ready  cleared  land  means  a  tremendous  saving 
of  labour  ;  and  what  is  even  more  important,  the 
forest  land,  though  it  may  be  fairly  rich,  does  not 
compare  in  fertility  with  that  of  the  meadows,  and 
is  of  course  usually  so  rough  that  cultivating  is  far 
more  difficult.  But  the  farmer  who  thus  reaped 
the  benefit  of  countless  ages  of  beavers'  work 
had  no  thought  for  the  little  fellows.  On  every 
possible  occasion  he  trapped  them,  though  perhaps 
the  very  ones  he  killed  were  the  direct  descendants 
of  those  that  had  originally  built  the  dams  which 
had  made  the  meadows  for  him  and  his  family. 
His  house  might  even  be  built  on  the  site  of  the 
original  lodges,  and  years  later  a  village  or  a  town 
be  built  around  the  same  place.  Factory  whistles 
might  scream  to  thousands  of  busy  men  and 
women,  calling  them  to  begin  or  finish  their  day's 
labour  where  formerly  the  evening  call  of  the  owl 
had  summoned  forth  the  beaver  to  their  night's 
work.  The  saw  mill  on  the  old  beaver  pond  might 
screech  as  its  many-toothed,  buzzing  saws  tear 
through  the  heart  of  the  stoutest  trees,  in  the  very 


Working  on  the  lodge  and  carrying  branches  to  the  winter  store,  which  is 
placed  in  the  water  and  quite  near  the  house.     (Painting.} 


II 


g-s 

c  _^  ^ 


fe:S 


RESULTS   OF  BEAVERS'   WORK     177 

place  where  years  ago  the  trees  had  been  cut  by 
the  keen-edged  teeth  of  the  beaver.  Ship  canals 
might  be  built  where  the  furry  little  engineers  had 
built  their  canals.  Great  stone  dams  form  reser- 
voirs where  the  primitive  earth  and  log  dams  had 
once  held  water  for  the  beaver.  We  are  a  busy 
people  and  we  can  give  but  little  heed  to  sentiment, 
but  surely  there  is  time  in  our  lives  to  think  of 
preserving  and  protecting  the  beaver.  Let  us  hope 
that  the  generations  who  follow  us  will  be  able  to 
thank  us,  their  forefathers,  for  having  defended  the 
beaver  when  they  look  on  these  small  creatures 
continuing  the  work  their  Creator  intended 
they  should  do.  We  owe  that  much  to  our 
descendants,  and  we  owe  still  more  to  the  beaver. 


R.B. 


CHAPTER  IV 

BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY — SHOWING  SOME- 
THING OF  THE  PART  PLAYED  BY  THEM  IN  THE 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COUNTRY 

IN  reading  the  earlier  history  of  Canada,  we  find 
that  from  the  very  beginning,  its  development  was 
inextricably  interwoven  with  the  life  or,  I  should 
say,  the  death  of  the  beaver.  It  lived  on  the 
beaver.  It  was  opened  up  by  the  beaver,  wars 
were  waged  through  the  competition  for  the  skins 
of  the  little  animals,  the  skins  were  the  currency  of 
the  country,  the  clothing  to  some  extent,  and 
frequently  did  the  earlier  inhabitants  depend  on  its 
meat  for  their  food.  In  no  country  has  an  animal 
played  such  a  conspicuous  part. 

Going  back  to  the  first  settlement  of  Canada,  we 
find  that  the  beaver  held  an  important  place  in  the 
life  of  the  Indians.  Their  legends  are  full  of 
allusions  to  the  animals,  and  some  tribes  believed 
that  the  world  was  originally  made  by  beaver,  not 
the  same  kind  that  we  have  now,  but  by  gigantic 
ones  who  were  possessed  of  superhuman  power. 
Some  legends  state  that  the  beaver  is  a  reincarna- 
tion of  man,  put  back  on  earth  to  work  for  past 
offences,  and  early  drawings  show  the  beaver  with 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   179 

men's  faces.  Some  of  the  Indians  themselves  claim 
descent  from  beaver,  and  there  are  many  stories  of 
intermarriage  between  beavers  and  Indian  women, 
and  of  the  women  bearing  beaver  children.  One  of 
the  most  famous  of  the  Indian  ritualistic  medicine 
bundles  was  known  as  the  "  beaver-bundle."  The 
owners  of  these  curious  assortments  of  objects  were 
considered  to  have  special  powers,  and  were  the 
weather  men  and  almanac  keepers.  The  origin  of 
the  bundles  varies  greatly  according  to  the  different 
tribes.  One  version  only  will  be  sufficient  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  legend,  and  is  taken  from  Wissler 
and  Duvall's  Blackfoot  Mythology* 

BLOOD  VERSION. 

"  You  say  you  have  heard  the  story  of  Scabby- 
Round-Robe  ;  but  he  did  not  first  start  the  beaver- 
medicine,  because  it  is  said  in  the  story  that  there 
was  such  a  medicine  before  his  time.  The  story 
I  now  tell  you  is  about  the  origin  of  beaver- 
medicine. 

"  Once  there  was  a  man  and  his  wife  camping 
alone  on  the  shore  of  a  small  lake.  This  man  was 
a  great  hunter,  and  had  in  his  lodge  skins  of  almost 
every  kind  of  bird  and  animal.  Among  them  was 
the  skin  of  a  white  buffalo.  As  he  was  always 
hunting,  his  wife  was  often  left  alone.  One  day  a 
beaver  came  out  of  the  water  and  made  love  to  her. 

*  Published  by  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  in 
the  series  of  Anthropological  Papers.  1908. 

N2 


180   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

This  went  on  for  some  time,  until  finally  she  went 
away  with  the  beaver  to  his  home  in  the  water. 
Now  when  the  man  came  home,  he  looked  all  about 
for  his  wife,  but  could  not  find  her  anywhere.  As 
he  was  walking  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  he  saw 
her  trail  going  down  into  the  water.  Now  he  knew 
what  had  happened.  He  did  not  break  camp,  but 
continued  his  hunting.  After  four  days,  the  woman 
came  up  out  of  the  water  and  returned  to  her 
lodge.  She  was  already  heavy  with  child.  When 
her  husband  returned  that  evening,  he  found  her 
in  her  usual  place,  and  she  told  him  all  that  had 
occurred. 

"  In  the  course  of  time  the  woman  gave  birth  to  a 
beaver.  To  keep  it  from  dying  she  put  it  in  a 
bowl  of  water,  which  she  kept  at  the  head  of  her 
bed.  In  the  evening  her  husband  came  in  as  usual, 
and  after  a  while,  hearing  something  splashing  in 
water,  he  said,  *  What  is  that  ? '  Then  the  woman 
explained  to  him  that  she  had  given  birth  to  a 
beaver.  She  brought  him  the  bowl.  He  took  out 
the  little  beaver,  looked  at  it,  and  put  it  back.  He 
said  nothing.  As  time  went  on  he  became  very 
fond  of  the  young  beaver  and  played  with  him 
every  evening. 

"  Now  the  beaver  down  in  the  water  knew  every- 
thing that  was  going  on  in  the  lodge.  He  knew 
that  the  man  was  kind  to  the  young  beaver,  and  so 
was  not  angry  with  him.  He  took  pity  on  the 
man.  Then  the  father  of  the  young  beaver  resolved 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   181 

to  give  the  man  some  of  his  medicine-songs  in 
exchange  for  the  skins  of  birds  and  animals  the  man 
had  in  his  lodge.  So  one  day,  when  the  woman 
went  down  to  the  lake  for  water,  the  beaver  came 
out  and  instructed  her  to  request  of  her  husband 
that  whatever  he  [the  beaver]  should  ask  in  his 
songs,  that  should  be  done.  He  also  stated  the 
time  at  which  he  would  come  to  the  lodge  to  be 
received  by  her  husband. 

"  At  the  appointed  time  the  beaver  came  out  of 
the  lake  and  appeared  before  the  lodge,  but,  before 
he  entered,  requested  that  the  lodge  be  purified  [a 
smudge].  Then  he  entered.  They  smoked.  After 
a  while  the  beaver  began  to  sing  a  song,  in  which 
he  asked  for  the  skin  of  a  certain  bird.  When  he 
had  finished,  the  man  arose  and  gave  the  bird-skin 
to  him.  Then  the  beaver  gave  another  song,  in 
which  he  asked  for  the  skin  of  another  bird,  which 
was  given  him.  Thus  he  went  on  until  he  secured 
all  the  skins  in  the  man's  lodge.  In  this  way  the 
man  learned  all  the  songs  that  belonged  to  the 
beaver-medicine  and  also  the  skins  of  the  animals 
to  which  the  songs  belonged. 

"  After  this  the  man  got  together  all  the  different 
kinds  of  bird  and  animal  skins  taken  by  the  beaver, 
made  them  up  into  a  bundle,  and  kept  the  beaver- 
medicine." 

Beaver  robes  were  supposed  to  have  certain 
virtues  and  were  used  in  many  ceremonies,  especially 


182      ROMANCE   OF   THE   BEAVER 

those  in  any  way  connected  with  death.  Father 
Paul  Le  Jeune  states  that  they  were  used  "  for 
what  winding-sheets  and  shrouds  are  in  France." 
And  in  giving  accounts  of  funeral  rites  he  says  : 
"  When  the  friends  have  gazed  upon  the  bodies  to 
their  satisfaction  they  cover  them  up  with  handsome 
beaver  robes,  quite  new."  And  again :  "  These 
bones  are  enclosed  in  caskets  of  bark  covered  with 
new  beaver  skins."  When  the  Iroquois,  Onagan, 
delivered  two  captives  over  to  Father  Ragueneau, 
he  said,  lifting  up  a  beaver  robe,  "  Behold  the 
standard  that  you  shall  plant  upon  your  fort,  when 
you  shall  see  our  canoes  appear  upon  this  great 
river  ;  and,  when  we  see  this  signal  of  your  friend- 
ship we  shall  land  with  confidence  at  your  ports." 
As  presents,  nothing  approached  in  value  the  beaver 
robe,  not  only  on  account  of  its  actual  worth,  but 
it  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  emblem.  The  Jesuit 
priests,  whose  work  in  Canada  during  its  early  days 
was  so  very  remarkable,  realised  thoroughly  the 
sentimental  value,  both  of  these  robes  and  the 
single  skins.  These  were  apparently  always  accept- 
able presents  which  carried  with  them  some  subtle 
meaning.  When  disturbances  occurred  they  gave 
them  as  a  seal  of  friendship.  On  one  occasion  when 
there  had  been  trouble  with  the  Iroquois  we  find 
that  "  in  order  to  wipe  out  the  blood,  and  implant 
joy  in  every  breast,  leaving  no  trace  of  sadness  any- 
where, the  Father  presented  four  beaver  skins  to 
the  four  Iroquois  nations.  One  for  each."  The 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   183 

intrinsic  value  of  these  skins  was  practically  nothing, 
yet  the  giving  of  them  meant  a  great  deal.  On 
another  occasion,  Father  Ragueneau,  in  order  to 
establish  peace  between  two  tribes  made  a  gift  of 
eight  beavers  to  the  Oneiotchronons  at  Three 
Rivers,  "  to  exhort  them  to  go  to  the  chase  without 
fear,  and  if  they  should  meet  the  Algonquins 


The  beaver  and  peculiar  ideas  of  lodges. 
(From  an  old  print,  1755.) 

they  shall  prepare  a  kettle,  and  give  one  another 
meat." 

In  connection  with  the  building  of  churches  the 
beaver  played  an  important  part,  and  many  edifices 
owe  their  existence  to  contributions  of  skins.  "  In 
the  year  1645  Monsieur  de  Montmagny,  the 
Governor,  and  the  inhabitants  gave  twelve  hundred 
and  fifty  beaver  skins  brought  by  the  soldiers,  who 
came  from  the  Huron  country,  to  have  a  church 
built  at  Kebec  in  honour  of  Our  Lady  of  Peace." 


184   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

The  value  of  these  skins  was  about  8,000  livres, 
and  the  size  of  the  church  (which  was  probably  the 
original  Parish  Church  of  Quebec)  was  30  by  100 
feet.  The  churches  were  furnished  indirectly  by 
the  beaver,  for  we  find  that  "  in  the  year  1642 
Monsieur  de  Flsle,  lieutenant  of  Monsieur  the 
Governor,  gave  a  robe  of  beaver  skins  with  which 
were  purchased  the  two  pieces  of  carpet  that  lie 
around  the  altar."  From  the  same  source  (The 
Jesuit  Relations  in  Canada)  there  is  given  a  pathetic 
account  of  the  early  Christianity  (1659)  of  the 
Indians  in  which  the  beaver  robes  are  mentioned. 
"  A  good  Christian  Algonkin  (also  in  other  places 
spelled  Algonquin)  woman  named  Cecile  Koue- 
koueat^,  falling  sick  in  the  midst  of  the  woods  and 
seeing  herself  in  extremity  without  being  able  to 
confess,  she  believed  that  she  might  make  up  for 
this  in  some  fashion  with  a  present  of  beaver  skins 
which  she  bequeathed  to  the  Church  at  Three 
Rivers,"  sending  this  by  her  kinsmen  who  came 
after  her  death  to  the  priest.  They  spoke  thus : 
"  Black  Gown  (as  they  called  the  priests),  listen  to 
the  voice  of  the  dead  and  not  to  that  of  the  living. 
It  is  not  we  who  speak  to  thee ;  it  is  a  departed 
woman  who  before  dying  enclosed  her  voice  in  this 
package.  She  charged  it  to  declare  to  thee  all  her 
sins,  as  she  herself  could  not  do  by  word  of  mouth. 
Your  handwriting  enables  you  to  speak  to  the 
absent ;  she  intends  to  do  so  by  these  beaver  skins 
what  you  do  with  your  papers,"  etc.  A  few  years 


Canal  made  "by  beaver  in  order  to  enable  them  to  transport  their  wood 
cuttings  from  the  source  of  supply  to  the  pond  in  which  the  winter 
food  supply  is  stored.  (Painting.) 


Rolling  a  log  down  their  roadway  to  the  pond,  when  it  will  be  floated 
to  the  winter  store.     (Paiiitiny.) 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   185 

later,  there  is  another  account  of  a  poor  woman 
eighty  years  of  age  whose  son  had  been  slain, 
sending  in  her  little  offering  of  "  six  beaver  skins 
in  order  to  have  prayers  offered  to  God  for  his 
soul." 

It  appears  that  the  beaver  skins  caused  serious 
difficulties  to  the  priests,  who  were  practically 
forced  to  use  them  as  money  and  in  many  other 
ways.  Apparently  private  persons  were  unable  to 
send  the  skins  to  France,  in  fact  they  could  not 
dispose  of  them  for  shipment  except  through  the 
French  company,  which  had  such  unlimited  powers 
and  which  presumably  did  not  pay  anything  like 
the  price  offered  in  Europe,  so  that  the  Jesuits 
were  forced  to  lose  heavily  in  the  transaction. 
Father  Le  Jeune  writes  very  strongly  on  this 
question,  and  I  quote  rather  fully  from  him  as  his 
account  has  a  direct  bearing  on  the  beaver  and  the 
way  in  which  the  use  and  sale  of  the  skins  crept  in 
to  all  the  dealings  between  France  and  Canada. 
He  begins  with  the  statement,  "  The  7th  general 
congregation  of  our  Society  which  absolutely  for- 
bids all  kinds  of  commerce  and  business  under  any 
pretext  whatever,"  and  further  on,  "  Some  of  our 
Fathers  send  me  word  that  we  must  not  even  look 
at  from  the  corners  of  our  eyes,  or  touch  with  ends 
of  our  ringers,  the  skins  of  any  of  these  animals 
which  are  of  great  value  here  ;  what  can  be  the 
cause  of  this  advice  ?  "  He  then  relates  how  they 
have  been  slandered  in  France  and  says,  "  Peltry  is 


186   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

not  only  the  best  thing  and  the  easiest  to  make  use 
of  in  this  country,  but  it  is  also  the  coin  of  greatest 
value.  And  the  best  of  it  is  that  after  it  has  been 
used  as  a  covering  *  it  is  found  to  be  ready-made 
gold  and  silver.  You  know  in  France  how  much 
consideration  is  given  to  the  style  of  a  gown. 
Here  all  there  is  to  do  is  to  cut  it  out  of  a  beaver 
skin  and  the  savage  woman  straightway  sews  it  to 
her  little  child  with  a  moose  tendon,  with  admirable 
promptness.  Who  ever  wishes  to  pay  in  this  coin 
for  the  goods  he  buys  here  saves  thereby  the  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  that  the  market  price  gives  them 
over  that  in  France  for  the  risk  they  run  upon  the 
sea — and  certainly  it  seems  that  commutative 
justice  allows  that,  if  what  comes  to  us  from  France 
is  dearer  for  having  floated  over  the  sea,  what  we 
have  here  is  worth  something  for  having  been 
chased  in  the  woods  and  over  the  snow,  and  for 
being  the  wealth  of  the  Country,  especially  as 
those  who  are  paid  with  this  coin  always  find 
therein  their  reckoning  and  something  more." 
Twenty  years  later  (1656-7)  we  find  the  situation 
has  scarcely  changed,  as  shown  by  the  following 
extract  from  the  Jesuit  Relations :  "  That  great 
council  was  held  on  the  24th  of  the  month  of  July 
when  all  the  Nation  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Achiendas£  (who  is  our  Father  Superior)  the 
settlement  of  the  difficulty  between  the  Sonnon- 

*  The  value  of  the  skins  for  hatters'  purposes  is  increased  by 
their  having  been  used. 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   187 

toueronnons  and  the  Annieronnons,  which  was 
soon  ended.  They  then,  with  manifestations  of 
extraordinary  good  will,  agreed  that  we  should 
establish  ourselves  and  reside  in  their  country. 
Finally  each  one  deposited  his  presents  in  the  war 
kettle.  We  had  so  well  displayed,  arranged  and 
disposed  our  presents,  that  they  made  a  wonderful 
show.  It  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  observe  in 
passing  that  these  presents  consist  entirely  of 
porcelain  collars,  beads,  arquebuses,  powder  and 
lead,  coats,  hatchets,  kettles,  and  other  similar 
articles.  These  are  purchased  from  the  Merchants 
with  beaver  skins,  which  are  the  money  that  they 
demand  in  payment  for  their  wares.  Now,  if  a 
Jesuit  receives  or  collects  some  of  the  furs,  to  help 
pay  the  enormous  expenses  that  have  to  be  incurred 
in  Missions  so  distant,  to  win  these  people  to 
Jesus  Christ  and  restore  peace  among  them,  it 
would  be  desirable  that  those  very  persons  who 
ought  to  incur  these  expenses  for  the  preservation 
of  the  country  should,  at  least,  not  be  the  first  to 
condemn  the  zeal  of  those  Fathers,  and  in  their 
tales  to  paint  them  blacker  than  their  gowns. 
They  write  to  us  from  France  that  they  can  no 
longer  provide  means  for  the  heavy  expenditure 
that  we  incur  in  these  new  undertakings.  We 
devote  to  them  our  labours,  our  sweat,  our  blood 
and  our  lives." 

In  cases  of  crime  the  punishment,  whether  of 
white  or  red  men,  was  invariably  a  fine  payable  in 


188   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

beaver  skins.  Even  murder  was  pardoned  with 
such  payment.  In  one  case  a  whole  Huron  village 
was  called  to  account  for  murder  and  was  compelled 
to  pay  the  injured  tribe  "  as  many  as  sixty  presents 
the  least  of  which  must  be  of  the  value  of  a  new 
beaver  robe." 

Everything  was  valued  by  the  standard  of 
beaver  skins.  The  profits  resulting  from  the 
monopoly  of  the  trade  must  have  been  enormous. 
One  of  the  Jesuits  in  writing  to  a  brother  priest  in 
1638  says,  "  Our  plates  although  of  wood  cost  more 
than  yours  for  they  are  valued  at  one  beaver  robe, 
which  is  a  hundred  francs."  Yet  the  Indians 
thought  themselves  well  paid  for  the  skins  they 
brought  as  will  be  seen  by  their  saying,  "The 
beaver  does  everything  perfectly  well,  it  makes 
kettles,  hatchets,  swords,  knives,  bread ;  and  in 
short  makes  everything.  The  English  (probably 
meaning  the  white  people)  have  no  sense  ;  they 
give  us  twenty  knives  like  this  for  one  beaver  skin." 
And  the  Indian  (in  1657)  was  willing  to  pay  one 
whiter  beaver  skin  for  two  pots  of  wine.  As  far 
back  as  1647,  the  Tadousac  trade,  which  was  chiefly 
beaver  skins,  amounted  to  40,000  livres  profit,  and 
in  all  to  about  250,000  livres,  and  two  years  earlier 
20,000  pounds  of  skins  were  carried  away  in  two 
vessels.  Internal  warfare  both  between  the  various 
tribes  of  Indians  and  between  them  and  the  whites 
had  a  marked  effect  on  the  number  of  skins  taken 
each  year.  In  1653,  before  the  devastation  of  the 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   189 

Huron,  it  was  said  that  "  a  hundred  canoes  used  to 
come  to  trade,  all  laden  with  beaver  skins  and  each 
year  we  had  two  or  three  hundred  thousand  livres 
worth.  That  was  a  fine  revenue  with  which  to 
satisfy  all  the  people  and  defray  the  heavy  expenses 
of  the  country,"  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
the  Iroquois  did  all  they  could  to  prevent  the  trade 
by  incessant  attacks  on  all  who  either  trapped  or 
carried  the  skins.  In  the  above-mentioned  year 
there  is  the  following  statement :  "  The  country  is 
not  stripped  of  beaver  ;  they  form  its  gold  mines 
and  its  wealth,  which  have  only  to  be  drawn  upon 
in  the  lakes  and  streams,  where  the  supply  is  great 
in  proportion  to  the  smallness  of  the  draught  upon 
it  during  these  latter  years  due  to  the  fear  of  being 
dispersed  or  captured  by  the  Iroquois."  During 
the  earlier  years,  the  whites  contented  themselves 
with  trading  for  skins,  but  gradually  the  desire  for 
greater  profits  led  them  to  indulge  in  trapping, 
and  in  1656  I  find  almost  the  first  notice  of  this  in 
the  following :  "  As  nothing  happened  all  winter 
long  to  mar  our  joy  and  as  the  atmosphere  of  peace 
had  spread  throughout  the  country  especially  in 
Montreal,  the  great  number  of  beaver  inhabiting 
the  streams  and  neighbouring  rivers  attracted  our 
Frenchmen  thither  as  spring  opened  and  the  snow 
and  ice  melted.  On  all  sides  they  hunted  and 
waged  war  against  these  animals  in  good  earnest, 
with  pleasure  and  profit  alike.  A  young  surgeon 
in  pursuit  of  his  prey — laying  his  snares  for  the 


190   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

beaver  in  remote  places  where  never  had  solitude 
seemed  to  him  sweeter — a  band  of  Onneiochronnon 
Iroquois,  who  had  gone  thither  to  hunt  men, 
captured  this  hunter  of  animals."  This  led  to 
much  trouble  which  fortunately  did  not  end  in 
bloodshed,  as  by  diplomacy  and  the  fairness  of  a 
chief  of  the  Onnontachronon  Iroquois  named 
Sagochiendagnte,  and  the  surgeon,  after  being 
badly  frightened,  returned  to  Montreal. 

It  is  curious  that  while  the  Indians  killed  and 
eat  the  beaver,  esteeming  it  the  greatest  luxury  of 
the  country,  that  they  should  regard  the  animal  as 
being  in  some  senses  sacred  to  such  an  extent  that 
under  no  conditions  might  the  bones  be  given  to 
their  dogs,  but  gathered  with  the  utmost  care  and 
put  into  the  pond  for  fear  that  the  beaver  spirit 
should  be  offended.  So  great  was  their  solicitude 
for  the  proper  treatment  of  the  animals'  bones  that 
even  when  they  gave  a  beaver  as  a  present,  Father 
Le  Jeune  says,  it  was  accompanied  by  the  request 
that  the  recipient  "  should  be  most  careful  not  to 
give  the  bones  to  the  dogs,  otherwise  they  believe 
they  will  take  no  more  beavers."  When  it  was 
not  convenient  to  put  the  remains  in  a  pond  or 
river,  they  burned  them  to  avoid  any  possibility  of 
their  hunting  being  spoiled. 

Needless  to  say  the  pursuit  of  the  beaver  led  to 
bloodshed  in  many  instances,  for  not  only  did 
individuals  commit  murders,  but  tribal  wars 
resulted  in  which  horrible  atrocities  were  com- 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY    191 

mitted.  The  white  traders,  in  their  eagerness  to 
procure  the  skins  from  the  Indians,  supplied  them 
with  arms  which  were  far  more  deadly  than  the 
primitive  bows  and  arrows,  with  the  inevitable 
result  of  increasing  the  casualties  in  the  wars,  and 
as  one  tribe  was  often  more  favoured  than  another 
in  the  way  of  arms,  the  ill  feeling  between  them 
was  fostered  to  a  terrible  extent.  In  1659  the 
Dutch  traders  supplied  the  Algonquins  with  fire- 
arms, and  this  led  to  the  practical  annihilation  of 
the  Agnieronnons  and  others.  But  their  triumph 
was  not  long-lived,  for  in  the  following  year  there 
is  a  statement  that  "  the  skin  of  the  latter  (beaver) 
is  of  so  little  value  to  them  (the  Algonquins), 
since  the  Iroquois  has  prevented  its  sale  that  they 
broil  the  beaver  over  the  fire  as  is  done  with  swine 
in  France." 

At  this  time  the  Algonquins  settled  in  the 
Hudson  Bay  region,  driven  there  apparently  by 
the  unceasing  attacks  made  upon  them  by  the 
Iroquois.  So  the  beaver  was  to  the  Indian  what 
gold  has  so  often  been  to  the  white  man — a  rich 
gift  of  nature  converted  into  a  cause  of  bloodshed. 
Not  only  did  this  apply  to  the  Indians,  but  through 
the  jealousies  of  the  rival  trading  companies  the 
enmity  of  the  tribes  was  incited  against  their 
rivals  with  terribly  disastrous  results.  Still  further 
was  bloodshed  caused  by  the  innocent  beaver,  for 
the  vessels  carrying  the  valuable  cargoes  of  furs 
from  Canada  were  regarded  as  treasure  ships,  and 


192   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

we  find  mention  of  French  vessels  "richly  laden 
with  the  spoils  of  the  beaver  of  this  country" 
being  captured  by  "  the  English,  who  were  waiting 
for  it  in  the  Channel." 

From  the  very  beginning  the  fur  trade  was 
stained  with  blood,  and  yet  perhaps  it  might  be 
said  that  the  blood  was  shed  for  the  good  of  the 
country.  "The  richly  furred  and  highly  prized 
skins  formed  the  chief  staple  of  Canadian  com- 
merce." They  paid  its  debts.  Men  grew  rich  on 
them.  Vast  fortunes  such  as  the  Astors'  were 
founded  almost  entirely  on  beaver  skins.  The 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  one  of  the  most  powerful 
and  successful  companies  that  the  world  has  ever 
known,  owed  its  existence  to  furs,  the  most 
important  being  the  beaver.  This  company  was 
largely  responsible  for  the  opening  up  of  Canada, 
the  search  for  the  skins  taking  their  factors  into 
even  the  most  remote  parts ;  in  other  words, 
civilisation — in  a  modified  form  perhaps — was 
carried  into  the  wilderness  in  exchange  for  beaver 
pelts.  In  times  of  distress  caused  by  famine  or 
illness  this  great  company  rendered  assistance  to 
the  improvident  Indians,  giving  them  food,  medi- 
cine and  clothing  in  exchange  for  their  word  that 
the  results  of  the  trapping  should  be  taken  by  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company.  Whether  abuses  ever 
crept  into  the  management  of  the  outlying  dis- 
tricts I  cannot  say,  but  certainly  on  the  whole 
their  affairs  were  well  conducted  for  the  benefit 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   193 

of  the  Indian  on  whose  welfare  the  Company  so 
largely  depended.  Notwithstanding  what  has  been 
said  to  the  contrary  the  use  of  "  fire-water  "  was 
certainly  discountenanced.  This  in  itself  was  a 
potent  cause  of  peace.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
many  serious  wars  were  averted  by  the  diplomatic 
handling  of  what  were  often  extremely  difficult 
situations.  (This  is  not  a  book  on  Canada,  so 
that  I  scarcely  feel  justified  in  going  too  much 
into  historical  questions,  but  if  the  reader  is 
interested  in  the  subject  he  will  find  great  pleasure 
in  going  through  the  accounts  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  "  The  Relations  of  the  Jesuits  in 
Canada,"  and  other  historic  works  relating  to  the 
subject.) 

As  already  stated  the  coin  of  the  country  was 
the  beaver-skin  ;  it  was  the  unit  of  exchange  or 
barter.  If  a  man  wanted  a  blanket  or  a  knife  or 
any  article  he  was  asked  so  many  "  beaver,"  and 
though  he  did  not  always  pay  in  actual  skins  they 
were  the  basis  of  all  smaller  transactions.  Unfor- 
tunately it  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  number 
of  beaver  which  were  killed  for  use  and  sale.  In 
1854  no  less  than  509,000  skins  were  sold  in 
London  and  Edinburgh,  while  Thompson  Seton 
gives  the  average  annual  total  "  brought  out  by 
the  American  Fur  Company  and  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  for  the  period  between  1860  and 
1870,  when  the  fur  trade  was  at  its  height,  as,  in 
round  numbers,  150,000,"  and  he  adds  :  "  But  the 

R.B.  o 


194   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

natives  used  as  many  good  pelts  as  they  sold  and 
seldom  saved  the  skins  of  those  taken  in  summer, 
though  they  killed  for  food  the  whole  year  round, 
so  that  500,000  per  annum  is  more  likely  to  repre- 
sent the  aggregate  destruction  by  man."  How 
nearly  correct  this  is  it  is  impossible  to  say,  but 
we  do  know  that  whatever  the  number  that  have 
been  killed  each  year  it  has  nearly  always  been 
greater  than  it  should  have  been,  a  statement 
easily  proved  by  the  rapid  disappearance  of  the 
animals  throughout  the  greater  part  of  their  range. 

The  following  account  written  by  Mr.  R.  Mac- 
Farlane,  who  was  chief  factor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  published  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  (Washington)  gives  some  interesting 
facts  and  figures :  "If  let  alone,  or  not  much 
disturbed  by  hunting,  the  beaver  will  rapidly 
increase  in  numbers.  In  proof  of  this  statement,  1 
would  mention  that  many  extensive  tracts  of 
country  in  which  they  had  become  scarce  or  had 
wholly  or  almost  entirely  disappeared  (as  a  result 
of  the  keen  and  very  costly  rivalry  in  trade  which 
had  for  many  years  existed  between  the  Northwest 
Company  of  Montreal  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany of  England  previous  to  their  coalition  in  1821, 
it  was  uncertain  for  some  time  '  which  of  them 
lost  most  money — neither  of  them  gained  money,' 
while  the  general  demoralization  of  Indians  and 
whites  was  very  lamentable)  they  afterwards  re- 
covered under  the  fostering  policy  of  protection 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY  195 

promptly  inaugurated  and  intelligently  pursued  by 
the  now  united  Fur  Trading  and  Governing 
Corporation.  For  more  than  a  decade  subsequent 
to  1821  each  beaver  district  in  the  chartered  and 
licensed  territories  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
was  annually  restricted  to  the  collection  of  a  certain 
fixed  number  of  beaver,  which  course  eventually 
proved  of  much  benefit  to  all  concerned.  By  this 
means  the  perpetuation  of  the  beaver  was  insured 
in  sections  where  reckless  slaughter  had  almost 
exterminated  it,  while  the  resulting  expansion  in 
more  forward  localities  naturally  followed.  With 
the  view,  however,  of  reconciling  them  to  this 
enforced  mode  of  preservation,  the  natives  were 
strongly  urged  and  encouraged  to  devote  their  best 
energies  to  the  trapping  of  martens  and  other  fur- 
bearing  animals.  After  the  beaver  were  known  to 
have  largely  increased  in  numbers,  and  still  sold 
well,  the  above  rule  was  gradually  relaxed  ;  and  as 
the  wants  of  the  Indians  in  those  days  were  com- 
paratively few,  they  never  experienced  any  particular 
hardship  from  the  limit  thus  imposed  upon  them 
in  the  general  interest.  It  may  be  here  mentioned 
that  the  Company  never  encouraged  the  hunting  of 
beaver  or  any  other  pelt  out  of  season.  On  the 
contrary  they  strictly  prohibited  the  killing  of 
beaver  in  summer,  and  would  only  reluctantly 
accept  the  skins  of  such  animals  as  they  were 
assured  had  been  absolutely  necessary  for  food 
purposes. 

02 


196   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

"  The  introduction  of  nutria  and  silk  in  the  manu- 
facture of  hats  in  the  early  forties  of  the  last  century 
struck  a  deadly  blow  at  the  value  of  beaver,  the 
chief  staple  fur  of  Canada  and  the  north-west  for 
two  centuries,  from  which  it  has  not  yet  quite 
recovered.  For  nearly  half  a  century  thereafter, 
the  prices  annually  obtained  for  pelts  were  some 
60  and  70  per  cent,  below  the  average  which  had 
previously  ruled.  Since  the  Alaska  fur  seal,  how- 
ever, has  come  into  '  fashion '  very  much  better 
rates  have  been  realised  by  the  smaller  quantities 
of  beaver  sold  in  recent  years.  With  the  view  of 
obtaining  better  prices  in  England,  as  well  as  for 
its  future  increase  in  numbers,  the  Company  natur- 
ally favoured  a  continuation  of  its  beneficial  policy 
of  restriction  ;  but  owing  to  the  then  general  abun- 
dance of  beaver,  and  the  advent  of  competition  in 
the  trade,  this  much  desired  course  had  to  be 
gradually  abandoned.  For  the  twenty-five  years, 
from  1853  to  1877,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
sold  a  total  of  nearly  three  million  skins  (2,965,389) 
of  this  important  animal  in  the  world's  fur  mart — 
London.  The  yearly  catch  from  1853,  with  55,456 
pelts,  to  87,013  in  1858  exhibited  a  steady  increase. 
The  year  1859,  with  107,196  pelts,  was,  I  believe, 
the  first  to  reach  and  exceed  the  century  mark 
since  the  union  in  1821,  but  1860  dropped  to 
91,459.  While  1861  was  only  926  skins  below 
1859,  1862  produced  115,580  pelts,  1863  produced 
114,149,  and  1864  produced  142,998,  yet  the  last- 


Beavers  gathering  their  supply  of  wood.     (Painting.} 


Beavers  working  on  their  dam.     (Painting.) 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY    197 

mentioned  year's  sale  was  immediately  followed  by 
a  decline  of  24,750  pelts.  The  balance  of  the  series 
from  1866  to  1877  varies  between  the  minimum, 
115,646  in  1877,  and  the  maximum,  172,042  in 
1867,  certainly  the  highest  and  best  since  1821,  and 
probably  one  of,  if  not  the  most  productive  in  the 
history  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  An  old 
writer  of  repute,  however,  writes  that  175,000 
beaver  skins  were  collected  by  the  'ancient  con- 
cern '  in  one  year  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  It  is  possible  that  this  large  number  may 
have  comprised  the  country  trade  of  two  seasons. 
European  wars  were  rather  frequent  and  somewhat 
protracted  in  those  days,  while  it  is  on  record  that 
one  or  two  of  the  Company's  ships  failed  in  making 
the  annual  round  voyage  between  London  and 
Hudson  Bay.  I  think  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  that 
neither  of  the  two  recent  historians  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  while  throwing  much  light  on  the 
earlier  and  some  of  their  later  trade  operations, 
have  not  also  given  us  some  definite  statements  of 
their  yearly  fur  shipments  and  sales,  which  would 
have  been  generaUy  appreciated.  Mr.  Beckles 
Willson  has,  however,  given  an  interesting  account 
of  the  Company's  first  London  public  sale,  which 
took  place  on  January  24,  1672.  On  this  occasion 
the  3,000  weight  of  beaver  were  put  up  in  thirty 
lots,  and  fetched  from  36  to  55  shillings  (a  pound 
probably).  The  other  furs  and  peltries,  bear, 
marten,  and  otter,  &c.,  were  reserved  for  a  separate 


198   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

and  subsequent  auction,  while  previous  receipts 
from  the  Bay  had  been  disposed  of  by  private 
treaty. 

"  This  first  official  sale,  as  it  subsequently  proved, 
of  a  series  of  great  transactions  which  for  upward 
of  two  centuries  have  made  London  the  centre  of 
the  world's  fur  trade,  excited  the  greatest  interest, 
and  both  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Duke  of 
York,  besides  Dryden,  the  poet,  were  among  the 
many  spectators.  Previous  to  the  advent  of 
Canadian  traders  from  the  East,  the  Indians  of  the 
surrounding  country  were  wont  to  assemble  in  the 
spring  at  Lake  Winnipeg  to  the  number  of  perhaps 
1,500,  where  also  birch-bark  canoes  were  built.  Six 
hundred  of  these  containing  a  thousand  hunters, 
exclusive  of  women,  came  down  annually  to  York 
factory  with  furs  to  trade.  Beaver  were  very 
numerous  in  those  days,  and  a  great  many  were 
wasted  in  various  ways,  often  as  clothing  and 
bedding.  Not  a  few  were  hung  on  trees  as  native 
offerings  upon  the  death  of  a  child  or  near  relation  ; 
occasionally  the  fur  was  burned  off,  and  the  beaver 
roasted  whole  for  food  banquets  among  the  Indians. 

"  He  further  states  that  in  1742,  two  large  expe- 
ditions of  natives  from  the  interior  came  down  to 
York  and  ChurchiU  (Fort  Prince  of  Wales).  One 
of  them  had  200  packs  of  100  skins  each  (20,000 
beaver,  probably  from  Lake  Winnipeg  country), 
and  the  other  300  packs  of  100  each  (30,000 
beaver  and  9,000  martens).  This  made  a  total  of 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   199 

50,000  beaver  received  from  both  'expeditions.' 
I  take  it  that  these  came  from  the  Chipewyan 
Indians  of  the  distant  Athabasca  and  intervening 
country,  reaching  Churchill  by  way  of  the  English 
and  Churchill  rivers. 

"  Doctor  Bryce,  in  his  concise  history,  writes  that 
so  effective  and  successful  were  the  operations  of 
the  Great  Northwest  Company  of  Montreal, 
that  toward  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  a 
single  year's  trade  produce  was  enormous,  and 
comprised  106,000  beaver,  32,000  martens,  11,800 
minks,  10,000  musquash,  and  17,000  skins  of  other 
animals.  Still,  if  we  knew  the  total  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  catch  for  that  year,  I  doubt  if  both 
returns  of  beaver  would  much  exceed  the  total  of 
172,042  skins  given  in  the  London  fur  sale  state- 
ment for  1867.  From  1858  to  1884  the  district 
of  Athabasca  contributed  445,014,  or  an  average 
of  17,116  a  year,  to  the  Company's  London  sales. 
The  average  for  the  self-same  posts  for  the  five 
outfits  (1885  to  1889)  is  about  8,000  ;  and  with  the 
'opposition'  trade  added  from  1890  to  the  spring 
of  1903,  both  will  undoubtedly  exhibit  a  further 
decline.  From  1863  to  1883  Mackenzie  River 
District  exported  a  total  of  183,216  beaver,  giving 
an  average  of  11,822  a  year.  For  the  three  years 
(1886,  1887,  1889)  of  which  I  hold  data,  it  had 
fallen  to  6,852,  and  is,  I  fear,  very  much  lower  at 
the  present  time.  These  are  but  samples  of  the 
general  decrease  in  beaver  receipts  experienced  at 


200   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

every  trade  competing  point  from  Quebec  to  the 
North  Pacific  and  from  the  international  boundary 
to  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  north-western  limit  of  its 
range  in  arctic  America. 

"  It  is  now  well-known  that  for  some  years  prior 
to  the  coalition  in  1821,  the  annual  catch  of  beaver 
was  rapidly  dwindling,  and  that  in  several  sections 
it  had  been  exterminated  by  reckless  slaughter  ; 
another  decade  or  two  of  similar  trade  competition 
would  doubtless  have  led  to  its  extinction,  except 
for  a  time  in  retreats  remote  and  difficult  of  access. 
We  have  had  ample  proof,  however,  by  obtained 
results,  of  the  beneficial  operation  of  the  wise  and 
far-reaching  policy  adopted  by  Governor  Sir  George 
Simpson  and  the  able  and  experienced  fur-trade 
counsellors  of  the  then  united  companies,  for  the 
due  preservation  of  this  valuable  animal.  For  some 
years  before  and  after  the  transfer  of  the  country 
to  Canada  in  1870,  the  entire  Peace  River,  together 
with  many  other  streams  and  small  ponds  through- 
out the  Territories,  British  Columbia,  the  Yukon, 
and  the  east  were  swarming  with  beaver  ;  but  this, 
unfortunately,  is  not  the  case  to-day.  From  1853 
to  1877  inclusive,  the  average  number  of  skins  sold 
by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  London  was 
118,615,  as  against  their  total  catalogue  sales  of 
about  50,000  for  1897,  43,000  in  1900,  46,000  in 
1902,  and  49,190  for  1903.  This  is,  without  doubt, 
a  bad  showing  for  some  of  the  later  of  the  twenty- 
six  years  which  have  succeeded  that  statement. 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY  201 

Even  with  the  addition  thereto  of  the  *  opposition ' 
trade,  in  the  very  same  locality,  it  is  doubtful  if  the 
aggregate  of  both  would  greatly  exceed  one-half 
of  this  average.  It  is  generally  assumed  that 
'  opposition '  or  competition  is  the  '  life  of  trade ' 
in  all  branches  of  business ;  but  in  the  opinion  of 
many  competent  judges,  the  fur  trade,  from  its  very 
nature  and  the  scope  of  its  operations,  is,  or  should 
be,  one  of  the  few  essential  exceptions  to  the  rule. 
It  is  a  matter  of  fact  that  the  advent  and  continued 
presence  of  'free  traders  '  at  a  Company's  inland 
post  has  always  had  a  more  or  less  stimulating 
effect  on  the  natives  by  inducing  them  to  exert 
themselves  to  a  larger  degree  than  usual  in  the 
hunting  of  beaver  and  all  other  fur-bearing  animals, 
but  although  at  first  and  for  some  time  all  con- 
cerned appear  to  benefit  by  increased  returns,  yet 
the  inevitable  accompaniment  of  reckless  and 
indiscriminate  slaughter,  sooner  or  later,  adversely 
manifests  itself.  This  has  hitherto  been  the  in- 
variable experience  at  every  assailed  post  or  district 
in  North  America. 

"  We  all  know  how  the  bison  or  buffalo  of  the 
prairies  of  Canada  and  the  United  States  has 
practically  disappeared,  although  half  a  century  ago 
it  was  reckoned  by  millions.  The  beaver  has  been 
Canada's  staple  fur  for  centuries,  and  but  for  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  its  officers  it  would 
long  ago  have  ceased  to  exist  as  a  commercial  asset. 
Unless  further  action  speedily  intervenes  in  the 


202   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

premises,  however,  the  ultimate  extermination  of 
the  Canadian  beaver  is  merely  a  question  of  time. 
It  has  already  disappeared  for  good  from  many 
sections  in  which  it  was  formerly  present.  It  is 
becoming  very  scarce  in  certain  localities  where  it 
should  receive  immediate  protection  in  the  way  of 
several  legally-assured  years  of  rest  and  full  exemp- 
tion from  disturbance  by  hunters.  In  other 
districts,  where  it  is  generally  but  surely  diminish- 
ing in  numbers,  its  killing  should  be  restricted  on 
lines  similar  to  those  pursued  by  the  Company  for 
many  years  subsequent  to  1821.  Greater  latitude 
might  be  accorded  to  hunting  in  now  unknown  and 
not  easily  accessible  parts  where  it  probably 
abounds  ;  but  except  for  food  absolutely  required 
no  one  should  be  permitted  to  trap  or  shoot  beaver 
out  of  season.  It  is  useless  making  rules  and  regu- 
lations, however,  unless  they  be  strictly  enforced. 
The  woodland  buffalo  is  now  receiving  some  well- 
deserved  attention  in  this  regard,  and  it  is  about 
time  that  the  musk  ox  should  be  protected  from 
indiscriminate  slaughter  solely  for  the  sake  of  his 
head  or  hide :  there  should  be  a  seasonable  limit 
imposed  upon  hunters  thereof.  Neither  should  the 
mountain  goat  and  sheep,  the  elk,  and  the  valuable 
food  animals — the  moose  and  woodland  caribou — 
be  neglected  in  this  connection.  And  although  the 
Barren  Ground  reindeer  is  still  abundant,  yet  the 
northern  Indian  should  not  be  permitted  to  con- 
tinue or  resume  their  ancient  vicious  course  of  reck- 


Castor  fiber — European  beaver. 
(From  Museum  of  Natural  History,  South  Kensington.) 


Castor  canadensis — Canadian  beaver. 
(From  Museum  of  Natural  History,  South  Kensington.) 


BEAVER  AND  CANADIAN  HISTORY   203 

less  and  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  them  whenever 
the  opportunity  appeared." 

In  former  times  when  the  Indians  had  the  almost 
exclusive  trapping  they  were  systematic  in  their 
work,  and  the  number  taken  from  each  colony  was 
seldom  in  excess  of  what  would  keep  the  numbers 
fairly  stationary.  When  the  white  man  entered 
the  competition  his  one  idea  was  to  secure  the 


Label  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, as  used  at  the  present  time. 

largest  possible  crop  of  skins,  utterly  regardless  of 
whether  or  not  he  killed  the  goose  that  laid  the 
golden  egg.  The  result  was  inevitable  and  the 
wasteful  destruction  reduced  the  crop  to  such  a  low 
level  that  from  the  animals'  entire  range  probably 
not  more  than  30,000  skins  have  been  taken  in  any 
one  year  for  some  time  past.  At  one  time  it  was 
quite  a  question  whether  the  beaver  was  not  on 
the  very  verge  of  extermination.  The  passing  of 


204   ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

protective  laws  and  the  making  of  parks  or  reserves 
have,  we  hope,  rendered  this  fear  groundless,  and 
the  beaver  that  has  done  so  much  in  the  past  to 
help  in  the  development  of  Canada  will  find 
sanctuary  in  the  land  of  its  forefathers.  So  that 
the  prediction  made  by  Lydekker  in  1894  in  which 
he  says  "  both  the  European  and  American  beaver 
are  doomed  to  extinction  as  wild  animals  at  no  very 
distant  date  "  will  not  be  fulfilled. 


CHAPTER    V 

THE   BEAVER   AS   A   SPECIES 

Castor  canadensis  and  Castor  fiber. 

OF  the  order  rodentia  the  beaver  is  the  second  in 
point  of  size,  the  only  species  exceeding  it  being 
the  Capibara  (Hydrochoerus  capivars)  of  South 
America.  The  American  and  European  beaver 
constitute  the  only  living  representatives  of  the 
genus  castor,  and  the  difference  between  the  two 
is  so  very  slight  as  to  be  scarcely  noticeable  to  any- 
one but  a  scientist.  Externally,  except  in  point  of 
size,  the  two  species  are  practically  identical,  the 
American  being  slightly  larger,  but  an  examination 
of  the  skulls  shows  certain  minor  differences,  chief 
of  which  is  the  slightly  greater  proportional  length 
of  the  nasal  bones  and  narrower  skull  of  the 
European  species  (Castor  fiber).  Another  less 
noticeable  mark  of  distinction  is  that  the  castoreum 
obtained  from  the  European  species,  especially 
those  from  Russia,  is  more  valuable  and  contains  a 
greater  proportion  of  castorin  resin  and  albumen. 
In  point  of  age  the  beaver  is  evidently  an  animal  of 
great  antiquity,  not  only  in  its  present  form  but 
the  larger  and  extinct  Trogontherium  (of  Europe) 
and  the  Castoroides  (of  America),  neither  of  which 


206  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

are  believed  to  be  the  ancestors  of  the  present-day 
species,  as  their  fossilised  remains  have  been  found 
in  the  pliocene  deposits  in  which  were  preserved  the 
skeletons  of  the  Mastodon  and  Mammoth,  so  that 
these  animals  lived  during  the  tertiary  period  and 
from  the  evidence  which  nature  thus  preserved 
there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  beaver,  as  we 
know  them  to-day,  differs  in  any  marked  way  from 
those  of  prehistoric  ages.  The  earliest  European 
Beaver  was  probably  the  chalicomys  which  has  been 
found  in  the  Miocene  beds  of  the  Continent.  It 
was  considerably  smaller  than  the  existing  form 
and  "  differed  from  all  living  rodents  in  having  a 
perforation  of  the  lower  end  of  the  upper  arm-bone 
or  humerus  "  (Lydekker).  The  largest  of  the 
family  was  the  Castoroides,  whose  skull  was  only 
about  four  inches  less  in  length  than  that  of  a  lion 
and  was  probably  the  largest  of  any  of  the  rodents. 
The  beaver,  both  American  and  European,  had  the 
largest  range  of  any  animal,  those  in  Europe  having 
existed  all  over  Europe,  including  Great  Britain 
(not  Ireland)  and  Asia  as  far  as  the  Euphrates. 
^During  the  Pleistocene  period  they  lived  in  Italy  as 
far  as  Rome,  while  the  American  species  ranged 
all  over  North  America  from  the  Arctic  Sea  to 
Mexico.  At  the  present  time  the  American  beaver, 
Castor  Canadensis,  is  chiefly  restricted  to  the  more 
northern  portion  of  the  Continent  of  North 
America  ;  none  are  found  in  the  region  of  the  great 
plains,  nor  in  the  more  southerly  and  easterly 


Feet  of  adult  male  beaver  (left  side). 

(After  drawing  by  Ernest  Thompson  Seton  (from  "  Life  Histories  of  Northern 
Animals  ").) 


208  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

parts.  Practically  speaking,  their  principal  habitat 
is  Canada,  Colorado,  South  Dakota,  New  Mexico 
and  Alaska. 

The  animal  is  in  general  appearance  much  like  a 
gigantic  muskrat  with  a  broad,  flat,  thick  tail. 
The  weight  of  an  adult  ranges  from  thirty-five  to 
sixty  or  seventy  pounds,  length  up  to  about  forty- 
five  inches,  including  tail,  the  scaly  part  of  which 
is  from  seven  to  nine-and-a-half  inches  long  and 
approximately  half  that  width.  The  circumference 
of  the  body  at  its  largest  part  is  rather  over  two 
feet,  and  the  heaviness  of  the  build  is  shown  by 
the  measurement  around  the  neck  back  of  the 
ears,  which  is  about  fourteen  inches.  The  front 
legs  are  very  short  with  small  feet  having  five 
toes.  The  hind  legs  are  also  short  but  much  more 
heavily  built  and  have  the  feet  webbed  from  the 
base  of  each  of  the  five  toe-nails.  All  toes  are  fur- 
nished with  strong  nails,  those  of  the  front  foot 
being  slightly  narrower  and  longer.  On  the 
second  toe  of  the  hind  foot  the  nail  is  curiously 
cleft,  presumably  for  the  purpose  of  combing  the 
hair.  The  palms  of  both  feet  are  bare  and  nearly 
black  in  colour.  A  soft,  rather  thick  hair  covers 
the  front  hand,  while  the  hind  foot,  which  spreads 
to  a  width  of  about  nine  inches,  is  not  so  thickly 
covered.  The  beaver's  tail,  about  which  so  much 
is  written,  is  covered  with  thick  fur  and  hair  near 
the  body,  from  which  it  suddenly  appears  like  a 
broad  paddle  completely  covered  with  a  hard,  scaly 


THE   BEAVER  AS   A   SPECIES    209 


R.B. 


210  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

skin,  very  dark  in  colour  and  with  a  few  short 
hairs  projecting  from  between  the  scaly  ridges  on 
the  upper  side.  The  tail  is  actuated  by  powerful 
muscles,  which  enable  the  animal  to  strike  the 
water  with  extraordinary  force. 

A  beaver's  head  resembles  a   cross   between  a 


Lower  jaw  of  beaver  with  the  near  side  of  jaw  cut  away  in 
order  to  show  the  total  length  of  the  incisor  tooth  and 
the  comparatively  small  amount  that  projects.  Tipper 
figures  are  the  molars  or  grinding  teeth  (£  natural  size). 


squirrel  and  a  rat,  though  in  some  ways  it  is 
perhaps  more  like  a  guinea-pig.  It  is  well  coated 
with  hair  and  fur  except  the  nostrils.  The  face 
has  five  rows  of  bristles  between  the  nostrils  and 
mouth,  and  a  few  bristles  over  the  eye,  which  is 
very  small,  only  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  The 
ears  are  short,  dark,  and  hairy.  But  the  most 


THE   BEAVER   AS   A   SPECIES     211 

peculiar  feature  of  the  head  are  the  teeth,  which 
are  most  wonderfully  developed  to  meet  the 
animal's  method  of  living.  Their  total  number  is 
twenty,  ten  in  each  jaw.  These  consist  of  eight 
molars  or  grinding  teeth  and  two  incisors  for  cut- 
ting. These  latter  are  the  chisel-like  teeth  with 
which  the  beaver  is  able  to  cut  down  the  great 
forest  trees.  In  their  construction  they  are  of 
especial  interest.  The  outside  or  front  is  a  thin 
layer  of  very  hard  orange-coloured  enamel  attached 


Skeleton  of  Beaver. 

to  a  thick  backing  of  dentine,  which,  being  soft, 
wears  away  by  the  action  of  cutting  and  leaves  the 
shell-like  edge  of  enamel  always  sharp.  The  lower 
teeth  are  of  great  length,  approximately  four  inches 
along  the  outer  curve,  of  which  a  minimum  of 
about  one  quarter  extends  beyond  the  jaw-bone. 
The  incisors  of  the  upper  jaw  are  both  shorter  and 
more  abruptly  curved.  The  distance  between 
these  and  the  molars  is  about  one-and-a-half  times 
the  space  occupied  by  the  groups  of  molars. 
These  are  curious  rootless  teeth  composed  of 

p  2 


212  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

foliated  hard  enamel,  the  inside  of  the  folds  being 
filled  with  soft  dentine,  which  wears  away  and 
leaves  the  ridges  sharp  and  capable  of  grinding 
wood  or  bark  to  a  fine  pulp.  All  the  teeth  grow 
continually  to  make  up  for  the  natural  wear.  In 
case  a  tooth  is  injured  or  broken  the  opposite  one 
grows  to  abnormal  length,  frequently  to  the  great 
discomfiture  of  the  animal.  The  folds  of  hard 
enamel  continue  with  little  change  of  form  down 
to  the  base  of  the  teeth,  but  the  semi-hard  dentine 
is  only  formed  near  the  grinding  surface.  The 
young  beaver  is  born  with  well-developed  teeth, 
which  differ  only  in  point  of  size  from  those  of 
the  adult. 

The  brain  of  the  beaver  is  noticeably  smooth 
and  lacking  in  the  corrugations  which  are  supposed 
to  indicate  intelligence.  It  seems  peculiar  that  an 
animal  which  has  so  much  (from  our  standard  of 
comparison)  to  signify  inferiority  should,  by  its 
works,  prove  itself  to  be  so  highly  intelligent. 
Romanes  says:  "There  is  no  animal — not  even 
excepting  the  ants  and  bees — whose  instinct  has 
risen  to  a  higher  level  of  far-reaching  adaptation 
to  certain  constant  conditions  of  environment,  or 
whose  faculties,  undoubtedly  instinctive,  are  more 
puzzlingly  wrought  up  with  faculties  no  less 
undoubtedly  intelligent." 

The  beaver's  coat  is  composed,  like  that  of 
nearly  all  fur-bearing  animals,  of  fur  and  hair.  In 
the  beaver  it  is  thick,  woolly,  brown  fur  about 


THE   BEAVER  AS   A   SPECIES    213 

three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  length,  while  the  hair 
is  from  two  to  two-and-a-half  inches  long,  dark  in 
colour  and  fairly  shiny.  The  general  colour  of  the 
animal  is  chestnut  brown,  but  it  varies  considerably 
according  to  locality,  from  a  lightish  yellow  to 
very  dark  brown,  and  in  very  rare  instances  to 
almost  black.  Albinism,  either  partial  or  com- 
plete, is  comparatively  rare.  The  colour  of  the 
young  beaver  is  decidedly  greyer  than  that  of  the 
adults,  the  length  of  one  four  days  old  is  about 
fourteen  inches. 

Outwardly  there  is  nothing  to  distinguish  the 
sexes,  except  when  the  female  is  suckling  her 
young;  then  her  four  teats,  which  are  situated 
between  the  fore  legs,  are  slightly  enlarged.  The 
number  of  young  at  birth  varies  from  two  to  six, 
rarely  more,  the  common  number  being  four.  They 
are  born  between  the  end  of  April  and  beginning 
of  June  after  a  period  of  gestation  which  is  believed 
to  last  about  fourteen  weeks. 

In  swimming  the  beaver  uses  its  hind  legs  and 
to  a  very  limited  extent  its  tail,  chiefly  for  sudden 
starts  and  turns.  In  this  respect  it  differs  entirely 
from  the  muskrat,  which  swims  chiefly  with  its  tail, 
which  acts  as  a  scull.  The  front  feet  are,  as  the 
trappers  say,  "  put  into  its  waistcoat  pockets,"  in 
other  words,  held  downwards  along  the  sides.  The 
head  is  clearly  visible  when  the  animal  swims  and 
the  top  of  the  back  more  or  less  so  according  to  the 
speed  at  which  it  is  going.  When  lying  perfectly 


214  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

still  at  the  surface  of  the  water  the  tail  also  may  be 
seen.  Under  water  the  head  is  held  lower  or  more 
directly  in  line  with  the  body  as  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  judge,  and  they  can  remain  under  water  for 
six  or  seven  minutes  or  even  more,  according  to 
some  observers.  When  submerged  the  ears  are 
closed,  as  also  are  the  nostrils,  except  when  slightly 
opened  to  emit  the  vitiated  air. 

In  slapping  the  water  with  the  tail  it  has  been 
fairly  well  proved  by  means  of  my  photographs 
that  the  position  assumed  by  the  animal  is  not  at 
all  according  to  previously  published  accounts  in 
which  the  impression  has  been  given  that  the  head 
is  down  or  even  under  water  at  the  moment  of 
the  slap,  whereas  the  head  and  the  shoulders  are 
actually  held  very  high  out  of  the  water  as  the  tail 
is  raised.  The  action  is  so  rapid  that  it  is  practically 
indistinguishable  to  the  eye.  In  diving  the  beaver 
can  go  down  so  quietly  that  there  is  no  disturbance 
to  the  water's  surface. 

On  land  the  beaver  walks  with  its  back  much 
arched  and  tail  dragging  ;  when  listening  it  usually 
stands  erect  on  its  hind  feet  with  the  tail  used  as  a 
balance,  and  when  sitting  down  it  often  brings  the 
tail  round  forward  and  even  sits  on  it,  though  per- 
sonally I  have  never  seen  this  position.  The 
eyesight  of  the  beaver  is  fairly  keen,  but  they 
depend  more  on  their  extremely  acute  senses  of 
hearing  and  smell,  particularly  the  latter,  which  is 
very  highly  developed.  Like  most  wild  animals 


THE   BEAVER  AS   A   SPECIES    215 

they  realise  the  importance  of  wind  and   always 
select  the  lee  side  of  a  pond  when  on  watch. 

Castoreum,  for  which  the  beaver  is  famous  and 
has  been  for  at  least  twenty-four  hundred  years,  is 
a  peculiar  substance  secreted  in  two  glands  situated 
below  the  pubis.  It  has  a  mild  and  not  unpleasant 
odour  which  is  supposed  to  be  very  attractive  to 
many  kinds  of  animals  and  consequently  is  used 
by  nearly  all  trappers  in  preparing  "  medicine" 
with  which  to  lure  the  various  fur-bearers  to  the 
traps.  It  is  also  believed  to  possess  extraordinary 
medicinal  properties,  and  has  been  in  use  for  over 
two  thousand  years.  Martin  states  that  *'  the 
earliest  references  we  have  to  the  beaver  in  history 
date  back  to  500  B.C.,  when  Hippocrates  mentioned 
it  in  connection  with  medicinal  uses  of  castoreum, 
and  from  the  fact  that  Pliny  wrote  that  the 
creature's  life  was  spared  on  surrender  of  the 
valuable  pouches  of  castoreum,  we  gather  that  it 
was  for  these  alone  that  the  animal  was  hunted." 
The  substance  in  various  forms  was  used  as  a  cure 
for  headaches,  deafness,  abscesses,  gout,  epilepsy, 
colic,  toothache,  sciatica,  lethargy,  fever,  pleurisy, 
"induces  sleep  and  prevents  sleepiness,"  helps 
memory  and  cures  tuberculosis  and  rheumatism, 
and  is  of  benefit  to  mad  people.  It  was  also  used 
in  smoking  with  soothing  effect  by  the  Indians. 
Surely  an  array  of  virtues  not  surpassed  by  even 
the  most  imaginative  quack  doctors  in  advertising 
their  "  cure-alls  !  "  We  may  laugh  at  the  ancients 


216  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

for  their  faith  in  castoreum,  but  they  were  not 
altogether  alone  in  their  belief,  for  it  is  to-day 
highly  prized  if  we  may  judge  from  the  fact  that 
it  is  sold  for  about  ten  dollars  per  pound.  It  takes 
the  "  castors  "  of  four  or  five  or  even  six  beavers  to 
yield  a  pound  of  the  substance  and  the  demand 
always,  I  am  told,  exceeds  the  supply.  From  this 
we  must  believe  that  we  do  not  differ  very  much 
from  the  ancients. 

Besides  the  castoreum  the  beaver  fat  also  was 
considered  valuable  for  medicinal  purposes  by  the 
Indians  who  used  it,  among  other  things,  for  pre- 
venting and  curing  frost-bite  and  for  rubbing  limbs 
afflicted  with  rheumatism  just  as  some  of  the 
African  tribes  use  the  lion's  fat.  Beaver  teeth 
were  employed  to  some  extent  by  Indians  as  chisels 
before  they  learned  the  value  of  metal. 

But  perhaps  the  greatest  commercial  value  of 
the  beaver  was  the  fur  which  was  used  for  making 
hats.  During  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies the  beaver  hat  was  of  even  greater  import- 
ance than  the  silk  hat  is  to-day,  and  very  much 
more  expensive,  for  the  price  of  a  good  "  beaver  " 
ranged  as  high  as  eighty  or  ninety  shillings,  and, 
strange  to  say,  old  skins  that  had  been  in  use 
were  more  sought  after  than  new  ones.  Later  on 
other  furs  were  used  for  making  hatter's  felt ;  this 
reduced  the  demand  for  the  beaver  skins,  while  the 
discovery  of  silk  plush,  as  a  substitute  material  for 
hats,  practically  ended  the  use  of  beaver  fur  so  far 


THE   BEAVER  AS   A   SPECIES    217 

as  the  hatter  was  concerned.  Now  its  furs  are 
only  used  for  the  adornment  of  people,  as  linings 
of  coats,  collars,  and  muffs,  and  other  similar 
purposes.  They  are  made  up  either  with  the 
hair  on  or  plucked  so  that  the  thick  fur  alone 
remains. 

The  Canadian  beaver  is  divided  into  five  more 
or  less  distinct  races,  which  are  given  by  E.  T. 
Seton  as — 

Castor  canadensis,  Kuhl,  the  typical  form  and 
smallest  (a). 

Castor  carolinensis,  Rhoads,  larger  than  the  type 
with  broader  tail  (b). 

Castor  frondator,  Mearns,  larger  and  paler  than 
the  type,  with  scaly  part  of  tail  shorter  than  twice 
the  width  (c). 

Castor  pacificus,  Rhoads,  largest  and  darkest  of 
all,  with  scaly  part  of  tail  longer  than  twice  the 
width  (d). 

Castor  texensis,  Bailey,  very  large  and  pale,  with 
scaly  part  of  tail  longer  than  twice  the  width. 

The  distribution  of  the  type,  Castor  canadensis, 
is  approximately  the  whole  of  Canada,  and  northern 
United  States  to  within  three  or  four  hundred 
miles  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  down  to  about 
latitude  38  degrees,  except  in  the  part  west  of 
longitude  103  degrees,  where  frondator  is  found. 
In  the  central  southern  portion  of  the  United 
States  they  are  classed  as  texensis,  while  those  in 
the  south-eastern  states  are  carolinensis  and  all 


218  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

that  are  found  on  the  Pacific  coast  are  called 
Castor  padficm. 

The  European  beaver,  Castor  fiber,  still  exists  in 
a  few  places  in  Europe,  chiefly,  I  believe,  in 
Norway,  where,  in  1883,  there  were  said  to  be 
about  one  hundred  near  Arendal  ;  these  have  been 
strictly  protected  and  have  therefore  increased. 
Formerly  they  existed  in  great  numbers  throughout 
most  parts  of  Europe,  also  in  Asia,  northern  and 
central.  In  Livonia  as  recently  as  1724  they  were 
so  abundant  that  they  were  considered  a  nuisance 
and  the  last  is  said  to  have  been  killed  in  1841.  In 
HoUand  they  were  exterminated  in  1825,  while  in 
western  Germany  the  MoseUe  and  the  Maas  were 
noted  for  the  number  of  beaver.  In  1829  there 
was  a  flourishing  colony  on  the  Elbe  near  Magde- 
burg. 

In  England  and  Wales  the  beaver  was  found  up 
to  about  the  twelfth  century ;  the  Welsh  name  was 
Llost-Llydden,  signifying  broad-tail.  The  last 
record  of  them  in  that  country  was,  according  to 
Giraldus  Cambrensis,  in  1188,  when  they  were 
found  in  the  Teivy,  Cardiganshire.  King  Howel 
Dda,  who  died  in  948,  fixed  the  price  of  beaver 
skins  at  120  pence,  which  shows  how  greatly  they 
were  appreciated,  as  fox,  wolf  and  stag  were  valued 
at  only  eight  pence.  The  beaver's  name  in  England 
has  been  perpetuated  by  very  few  places  such  as 
Beaverage,  Beverley,  Beversbrook  and  Beaver- 
bourne,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  United  States 


THE  BEAVER  AS  A  SPECIES         219 

and  Canada  where  the  name  will  be  preserved 
by  literally  thousands  of  towns,  villages,  rivers, 
streams,  lakes  and  ponds.  In  Scotland  the  beaver 
continued  later  than  in  England,  but  curiously 
enough  there  is  nothing  to  show  that  it  has  ever 
existed  in  Ireland. 


HINTS   ON   BEAVER  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

FEW  animals  large  or  small  are  less  suited  to 
photography  than  the  beaver.  To  begin,  they  are 
rather  shapeless,  with  inconspicuous  legs,  no  pattern 
in  the  way  of  colouring,  and  what  makes  the  work 
doubly  difficult  and  unsatisfactory  is  that  they  are 
so  seldom  to  be  seen  by  daylight.  Add  to  this  the 
fact  that  they  are  usually  wet  and  very  shy,  and  it 
will  be  easily  understood  that  the  task  of  securing 
really  good  photographs  is  not  easy.  I  may  even 
say  that  in  all  my  experience  of  hunting  with  the 
camera  no  animals  have  ever  given  me  so  much 
trouble.  The  best  pictures  I  have  ever  obtained 
of  lions  and  other  big  and  dangerous  beasts  were 
secured  with  far  less  difficulty  than  even  the  worst 
of  my  beaver  studies.  This  is  said  so  that  those 
who  may  attempt  the  work  will  not  be  disappointed 
if  success  is  slow  in  coming.  The  surest  way  is  of 
course  by  flashlight  and  the  surest  place  is  at  the 
dam.  A  small  break  in  the  structure  will  be 
almost  certain  to  induce  the  beaver  to  come  to 
repair  it,  as  they  don't  like  to  let  the  water  escape. 


220  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

The  camera  may  be  placed  on  or  near  the  dam  so 
that  the  opening  is  about  in  the  centre  of  the  plate. 
A  black  thread  across  the  breach,  about  five  inches 
above  water-level  (to  avoid  muskrats),  attached 
to  the  flashlight  and  shutter  should  answer  the 
purpose  if  you  have  a  satisfactory  outfit,  but  bear 
in  mind  that  every  part  of  the  apparatus  must  be 
protected  from  damp,  and  sufficiently  firmly  placed 
to  prevent  being  blown  over  by  sudden  winds.  It 
is  not  necessary  as  a  rule  to  conceal  the  camera,  as 
the  beaver  pays  but  little  attention  to  it ;  he  is  more 
interested  in  the  scent  left  by  man,  so  it  is  as  well 
to  throw  water  over  footprints  and  anything  near 
the  ground  that  has  been  handled.  If  all  goes  well 
you  will  get  lots  of  exposures,  but  in  most  cases  the 
pictures  will  show  simply  a  shapeless  mass  of  wet 
fur  to  take  the  place  of  the  beaver.  Such  at  least 
has  been  my  experience,  for  out  of  about  thirty 
exposures  only  four  or  five  showed  the  animal  with 
any  shape.  Don't  forget  that  the  beaver  moves 
quickly,  so  the  exposure  should  be  very  short.  On 
land  the  difficulties  increase  enormously.  There 
are  so  many  trees  to  which  the  animal  may  come 
that  it  is  no  easy  task  to  select  the  one  to  which  he 
will  come.  The  surest  way  is  to  lay  a  seductive 
branch  of  birch  or  maple  on  a  regular  pathway,  and 
arrange  the  camera  accordingly.  When  work  is 
being  done  on  the  lodges  there  is  always  a  chance 
of  securing  photographs  of  the  animal  carrying  up 
mud  or  sticks,  but  great  precaution  must  be  taken 


THE   BEAVER   AS   A   SPECIES     221 

not  to  disturb  the  surroundings,  or  cause  suspicions, 
and  everything  should  be  done  as  quietly  as  pos- 
sible. Be  sure  not  to  let  moisture  condense  on  the 
lens  of  your  camera.  This  causes  more  failures 
than  anyone  will  believe.  During  the  autumn  in 
northern  countries  everything  becomes  covered  with 
a  fine  mist-like  condensation.  This  is  particularly 
noticeable  on  glass,  and  you  cannot  get  a  sharp 
image  through  it.  Therefore  wipe  the  lens 
thoroughly  or  protect  it  carefully  by  means  of  a 
hood  which  will  open  immediately  before  the 
exposure.  I  dare  not  give  information  as  to  the 
best  kind  of  outfit  to  use,  for  I  have  not  yet  found 
such  a  thing.  Some  new  devices  are  being  offered 
now,  but  not  having  tried  them  1  do  not  feel 
justified  in  either  giving  their  names  or  in  recom- 
mending them.  So  far  I  have  had  the  best  results 
with  electric  apparatus,  as  they  are  quick,  almost 
silent  and  fairly  convenient,  but  they  don't  always 
work.  If  using  any  sort  of  electric  device,  be  sure 
to  have  an  ample  supply  of  batteries  to  take 
the  place  of  those  that  through  mishap  become 
exhausted.  I  have  had  a  tree  dropped  on  my  out- 
fit, branches  pulled  between  the  legs  of  the  tripod, 
which  was  of  course  upset,  and  many  other 
accidents,  which  go  to  show  that  the  pitfalls  of 
beaver  photography  are  many  and  trying.  A  good 
temper,  plenty  of  patience,  a  reasonably  good  outfit 
and  a  proper  share  of  luck  are  the  ingredients 
necessary.  All  successful  photographs  will  be  well 


222  ROMANCE  OF  THE  BEAVER 

earned,  and  consequently  they  will  be  greatly 
appreciated,  at  least  by  him  who  has  the  good 
fortune  to  make  them.  To  avoid  too  much  disap- 
pointment it  is  just  as  well  to  develop  all  flashlight 
exposures  before  resetting  the  cameras,  as  the 
number  of  ways  in  which  failure  may  come  is 
limitless. 


INDEX 


AMERICAN  beaver:  history  of 
species,  205-7  ;  description, 
with  illustrations,  208-14 

Anecdotes :  repairing  a  dam, 
45—46 ;  averting  a  threatened 
danger,  47  ;  a  tragedy,  113- 
14  ;  a  pet  beaver,  172 

BEAVER,  the :  appearance, 
208-13;  character,  136-39; 
danger  of  extermination, 
200-204 ;  as  food,  198  ; 
history  of  species,  205-6  ;  as 
housekeeper,  26;  intelligence 
of,  53,  61,  64-72  ;  language, 
169  ;  as  pets,  172-73  ;  pro- 
tection of,  see  below;  rules 
and  regulations  of  Beaver- 
dom,  167-68 ;  timidity  of, 
5-6  ;  travelling  on  land,  131, 
214 ;  travelling  in  the  water, 
77-78,  213 ;  work  of,  see 
below. 

Beaver,  protection  of,  152-162, 
174;  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany's policy,  194-95,  200 

Beaver-colony,  life  of  a,  79- 
128,  133-39 ;  illustrations, 
80-81  ;  moving  to  new  quar- 
ters, 129-32 

Beaver-medicine,  origin  of, 
179-81 

Beaver-parks,  154-59 

Beaver -pond,  80-81  (illus.).  See 
also  Dam-building. 


Beaver   work :     age    of,    144 ; 

benefit  of  to  man,  140-52; 

compared  with  man's  work, 

128-29,  149-50 ;  effect  of  on 

Canadian  history,   178-204  ; 

methods  of,  13-14,  124-25; 

a  typical  night's  employment, 

8-13 

Bedding,  22-24;    98-99 
Blazing  of  trees,  52-53 
Bryce,  Dr.,  quoted,  199 


CANADIAN  beaver,  classification 

of,  217-18 

Canal-building,  66-78  ;  115-16 
Captive  beaver,  story  of,  162-72 
Castoreum,  205,  215-16 


DAM- BUILD  ING,  31-50,  (illus.) 
33,  41;  pond  (illus.)  80-81; 
benefit  of  to  man,  141-49 

Danger-signal,  108,  114,  128 


EUROPEAN  beaver  :  history  of 
species,  205-7  ;  description, 
with  illustration,  208-14  ; 
habitat,  206,  218-19 


FARMERS,  145,  175-77 
Fishermen,  151 
Floods,  147-49 


224 


INDEX 


Food  :  natural,  50-52,  150  ;  in 

captivity,  171 
Fur.  See  Skins. 
Fur  Trading  and  Governing 

Corporation,  195 


GREAT  North-west  Company  of 
Montreal,  statistics,  199 


HAWK,  the,  107,  114 
Hearne,  James,  quoted,  11 
Hearne,  Samuel,  quoted,  21-22 
Howel  Dda,  King,  218 
Hudson   Bay   Company,    192- 
201 ;    label  (illus.)  203 


INDIAN,  the :  beaver  legends 
and  superstitions,  179-85, 
190  ;  trapping  beaver,  198- 
99,  203 


"  JESUIT  Eolations  in  Canada," 
quoted,  152-53 

Jouvency,  Father  Joseph, 
quoted,  on  lodge  building, 
19-20;  dam  building,  32-34 


LE  JEUNE,  Father  Paul,  quoted, 

on  use  and  sale  of  skins,  182, 

185-87 
"  Llost-Llydden  "  (the  beaver), 

218 
Loder,    Sir    Edmund,    beaver 

colony  of,  174 
Lodge    building,     14-26; 

material,   26-28  ;    situation, 

29-30,    129-30;    (illus.)    23, 

78,  183 


Log  transport,   61-66,  94-95  ; 

(illus.)  65    ' 
Lumber  industry,  149-50 


MACFARLANE,  R.,  194 

Martin,  H.  T.,  4 

Mating,  105,  119-20 

Mills,  Enos  A.,  4;  (quoted), 
lodge  building,  16 ;  ventila- 
tion, 18  ;  bedding,  24  ;  tree- 
felling,  60 ;  a  pet  beaver, 
172-73 

Morgan,  Lewis  H.,  3 

Musk-rats,  99-101 


NEWFOUNDLAND,    beaver   pro- 
tection in,  159-60 


OTTER,  the,  91-92 
"Outcast,   The,  A  true  story,' 
162-72 


PHOTOGRAPHY,  beaver,  4  ;  hints 
on,  219-22  ;  taking  a  photo- 
graph, 168-70 

Plastering,  98 


ROOSEVELT,  Colonel,  154 


SETON,  E.  Thompson,  4;  on 
lodge  building,  quoted,  16 ; 
statistics  of  fur  trade,  193-94 

Signals  :  mud-pat,  113,  119  ; 
danger,  108,  114,  128 

Simpson,  Sir  George,  200 


INDEX 


225 


Skins  :  ceremonial  use  of,  181- 
85;  as  currency,  185-88, 
193 ;  in  hat  making,  196, 
216-17 ;  commercial  value, 
218,  and  under  Hudson  Bay 
Company 


TAIL,  the,  208-10,  213-14; 
use  in  swimming,  77-78 ; 
(illus.)  209 

Trappers,  153-54,  203,  198-99  ; 
bait  used  by,  215  ;  breaking 
up  of  beaver  colony,  129 ; 
an  expedition,  133-36  ;  pro- 
tection from,  156-58  ;  sug- 
gested licence  for,  161-62 


VENTILATION  of  lodges,  17-18 


WASHINGTON  Zoo,  the,  162-72 
Water,  conservation  of,  145-47 
Water-ways,  150-51 
WiUson,  Beckles,  quoted,  197 
Winter  preparations,  7-9 
Wood  cutting,  50-61 
Wood-harvesting,  9,  117,  121- 
25 


YOUNG,  the,  105 ;  at  play, 
106-8,  113-14;  at  work, 
109-11 


BRADBURY,    A.GNBW,   <fe  CO.    LD.,    PRINTERS,    t.ONDON    AND   TONBRIDOK. 


R.B. 


A     000037631     9 


